Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of communications, and provides a communication method and apparatus. In the method, an access node indicates to a mobility management network element that the access node is a small cell base station, so as to facilitate the mobility management network element in identifying that the access node is of a small cell base station type, thereby enabling small cell base station verification, and improving network security.

Description

Communication methods and devices

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202510389987.9, filed on March 28, 2025, entitled "Communication Method and Apparatus", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of communications, and more particularly to a communication method and apparatus. Background Technology

[0003] In mobile communication networks, micro base stations (femto) serve as nodes for coverage enhancement in indoor scenarios. They can be understood as a type of new radio (NR) small station. Femto features low cost and flexible deployment, and can effectively solve problems such as weak indoor signals and insufficient capacity.

[0004] In the NR architecture, femto identifiers use base station identifiers, such as the gNB ID, which is the identifier (ID) of a next-generation NodeB (gNB). Because the network lacks an effective mechanism to identify nodes as femtos, it cannot trigger femto verification, leading to uncontrolled femto deployment and impacting network security. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a communication method and apparatus for identifying femto nodes in a network and triggering verification of these nodes, thereby improving network security.

[0006] Firstly, a communication method is provided that can be applied to an access node, such as a femto. This access node can be replaced by components configured within the access node (such as chips, chip systems, processors, etc.), or it can be replaced by logic modules or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the access network node, etc. This application does not limit the scope of the application. For ease of explanation, the following description uses the access node as the implementing entity.

[0007] The method includes: an access node determining first information, the first information indicating that the access node is a micro base station, and sending the first information to a mobility management network element.

[0008] It should be understood that in the embodiments of this application, a micro base station can refer to a femto, which is a node used to enhance coverage in indoor scenarios. However, this application does not limit the naming of femto. For example, in the process of communication system evolution, small stations that achieve coverage enhancement are all within the scope of protection of this application. It should also be understood that based on different division methods of coverage range (or transmission power), femto can correspond to micro base stations, pico base stations, or even femtocells, etc. This application only uses femto corresponding to micro base stations as an example for illustration. Of course, other types of access nodes corresponding to micro base stations, such as micro base stations in future communication systems, can also fall within the scope of protection of this application.

[0009] In other words, the access node indicates to the mobility management network element that it is a micro base station, so that the mobility management network element can identify this type of access node and thus verify the micro base station, thereby improving network security.

[0010] Secondly, a communication method is provided, which can be applied to a mobility management network element, or a component configured in a mobility management network element (such as a chip, chip system, processor, etc.), or it can also be a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the mobility management network element, etc. This application does not limit this. For ease of explanation, the following description uses a mobility management network element as the implementing entity.

[0011] The method includes: a mobility management network element receiving first information from an access node, the first information indicating that the access node is a micro base station, and verifying the access node based on the first information.

[0012] In conjunction with the first or second aspect described above, in one possible implementation, the first information is the non-public network (NPN) information associated with the access node, and the NPN information indicates that the access node is a micro base station.

[0013] The NPN information associated with the access node indicates the NPN networks that can be accessed through the access node, as well as relevant information within those NPN networks. This NPN information may include, for example, at least one of the following: cell identifier, public land mobile network (PLMN) information, or closed access group (CAG) information.

[0014] In other words, the access node can implicitly indicate that it is a micro base station by indicating NPN information to the mobility management network element, so that the mobility management network element can identify the access node as a micro base station, and save signaling overhead when the access node needs to report its associated NPN information.

[0015] In conjunction with the first or second aspect described above, in one possible implementation, the first information is the identifier of the access node, which indicates that the access node is a micro base station.

[0016] In other words, the identifier of the access node has the function of distinguishing micro base station type nodes from other access nodes (such as macro base stations). Therefore, the access node can indicate to the mobility management network element that it is a micro base station through its own identifier, so that the mobility management network element can identify the access node as a micro base station based on the access node's identifier, while saving signaling overhead.

[0017] In conjunction with the first or second aspect above, in one possible implementation, the identifier of the access node belongs to a sequence set, which includes at least one access node identifier, or at least one element of the access node identifier is a preset value.

[0018] The access node identifier can be, for example, a gNB ID.

[0019] In other words, an access node indicates that it is a micro base station by using access node identifiers within a specific range, such as access node identifiers in a preset sequence set; or an access node indicates that it is a micro base station by using an access node identifier that includes specific elements, such as an access node identifier containing at least one element with a preset value. Based on this, the identifiers of micro base stations differ from those of other types of base stations, and mobility management network elements can identify an access node as a micro base station based on its identifier.

[0020] In conjunction with the first or second aspect described above, in one possible implementation, the first information is carried in a next generation (NG) establishment request message.

[0021] In other words, the access node can indicate to the mobility management network element that it is a micro base station by using the first information carried in the NG establishment request message. This triggers the verification of the micro base station during the NG establishment phase, thereby improving the security of deploying micro base stations in the network.

[0022] In conjunction with the first or second aspect described above, in one possible implementation, the first information is carried in a terminal association message, which may include at least one of the following:

[0023] Initial user equipment message;

[0024] Path switching request message; or,

[0025] Switch request confirmation message.

[0026] In other words, the access node indicates to the mobility management network element that it is a micro base station through the first information carried in the terminal association message, triggering the verification of the micro base station during the terminal association stage. This is not limited to the verification of micro base stations during the NG establishment stage, and enhances the flexibility of network deployment, such as being more suitable for the flexible deployment of temporary or mobile micro base stations.

[0027] In conjunction with the first or second aspect above, one possible implementation is that the access node is directly connected to the mobility management network element.

[0028] In this context, "direct connection between the access node and the mobility management network element" can mean that no other nodes are deployed between the access node and the mobility management network element. For example, no micro base station gateway is deployed between the access node and the mobility management network element, and the access node does not need to interact with the mobility management network element through the micro base station gateway.

[0029] In other words, when the access node is directly connected to the mobility management network element, the access node sends a first message to the mobility management network element indicating that it is a micro base station. In this case, the problem of high signaling overhead caused by the mobility management network element being unable to receive the first message from the access node in the network terminal architecture is avoided.

[0030] In conjunction with the first aspect above, in one possible implementation, the method further includes: the access node sending NPN information, the NPN information including CAG information associated with the access node, the NPN information being used to verify the CAG information.

[0031] In other words, the access node sends NPN information to the mobility management network element so that the mobility management network element can verify the CAG information associated with the access node. This enables verification of the base station-level CAG information, making CAG verification more comprehensive and enhancing the security of the private network services provided by the access node within its coverage area.

[0032] In conjunction with the second aspect above, in one possible implementation, the method further includes: the mobility management network element acquiring NPN information, the NPN information including CAG information associated with the access node, and verifying the CAG information associated with the access node.

[0033] In conjunction with the second aspect above, one possible implementation is that the mobility management network element obtains NPN information, including: the mobility management network element receiving NPN information; or, the first information includes NPN information.

[0034] In other words, NPN information can be independent of the first information. Mobility management network elements can receive NPN information sent by access nodes or other network elements, such as operation, management, and maintenance network elements, and then verify the CAG information associated with the access node. Alternatively, NPN information can be carried within the first information. Mobility management network elements can parse the first information to obtain NPN information and then verify the CAG information associated with the access node. Optionally, when the first information carries NPN information, the NPN information can also implicitly indicate that the access point is a micro base station. When NPN information is sent independently of the first information, it can enhance the flexibility of information acquisition and adapt to diverse network architectures. When the first information carries NPN information, the NPN information can be reused, reducing signaling overhead.

[0035] In conjunction with the first or second aspect above, in one possible implementation, the NPN information further includes cell identifier and / or PLMN information, which is used to verify the CAG information associated with the access node.

[0036] Based on this, by combining the cell identifier and PLMN information to verify the CAG information associated with the access node, the dimension of CAG verification is increased, making it difficult for unauthorized access users to match complete NPN information, thereby improving the accuracy and security of CAG verification.

[0037] In conjunction with the first or second aspect above, in one possible implementation, the NPN information further includes: PLMN information, or cell identifier and PLMN information, wherein the NPN information is used to verify the PLMN information associated with the access node.

[0038] PLMN information is used to identify the operator or public network to which the access node belongs, while the cell identifier further locates the specific private network cell. By combining these two pieces of information, the network can determine whether the access node belongs to an authorized PLMN and the corresponding cell, thereby accurately verifying the legitimacy of the PLMN information associated with the access node.

[0039] In conjunction with the first or second aspect above, in one possible implementation, the NPN information further includes at least one of the following: cell identifier, PLMN information, or CAG information, and the NPN information is used to verify the access mode.

[0040] The access modes may include allowing CAG access, allowing PLMN access, and allowing both CAG and PLMN access.

[0041] Verification of access modes based on multi-dimensional NPN information improves the accuracy and security of access mode verification.

[0042] In conjunction with the first aspect above, in one possible implementation, the method further includes: the access node sending third information to the mobility management network element, the third information including CAG information associated with the first cell, the first cell being the cell accessed by the first terminal through the access node.

[0043] In other words, the access node sends the CAG information associated with the first cell it accesses to the mobility management network element, enabling the mobility management network element to perform cell-level CAG verification. Through further refined verification, the security of the private network when the access node is deployed in the network is improved.

[0044] In conjunction with the second aspect above, in one possible implementation, the method further includes: a mobility management network element receiving third information from an access node, the third information including CAG information associated with a first cell, the first cell being the cell accessed by the first terminal through the access node.

[0045] The technical effects of the corresponding technical features in the second aspect above are the same as those in the first aspect and in each possible implementation, and will not be repeated for the sake of brevity.

[0046] Thirdly, a communication method is provided, the execution subject of which has been described in the first aspect above, and will not be repeated for the sake of brevity.

[0047] The method includes: an access node determining second information, the second information including information of a CAG associated with the access node, and sending the second information to a mobility management network element.

[0048] Based on this, the access node sends a second message to the mobility management network element (MLE) to indicate the CAG information associated with the access node, so that the MLE can verify the CAG information associated with the access node. This enables verification of the base station-level CAG information, making CAG verification more comprehensive and enhancing the security of the private network services provided by the access node within its coverage area.

[0049] Fourthly, a communication method is provided. This method can be applied to a mobility management network element or gateway, where the gateway is deployed between an access node and the mobility management network element. Alternatively, the communication method can be applied to components (such as chips, chip systems, processors, etc.) configured in the mobility management network element / gateway, or it can be a logical module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the mobility management network element / gateway, etc. This application does not limit this. For ease of explanation, the following description uses the mobility management network element as the implementing entity.

[0050] The method includes: a mobility management network element receiving second information, the second information including information of a CAG associated with an access node, and verifying the information of the CAG associated with the access node.

[0051] In conjunction with the third or fourth aspect above, in one possible implementation, the second information is carried in the NG establishment request message.

[0052] In other words, the access node can use the second information carried in the NG establishment request message to indicate the information of its associated CAG to the mobility management network element, triggering the verification of the CAG information during the NG establishment phase, and ensuring the security of the private network service provided by the access node as early as possible.

[0053] In conjunction with the fourth aspect above, in one possible implementation, the mobility management network element receiving the second information may include receiving second information from the operation, management, and maintenance network element.

[0054] Based on this, the mobility management network element receives the second information from the operation, management and maintenance network element and then performs CAG verification. This can improve the flexibility and efficiency of network management while ensuring the security of the CAG associated with the access node. For example, in a scenario with multiple access nodes, the mobility management network element can obtain the CAG information associated with multiple access nodes from the operation, management and maintenance network element, thereby reducing system complexity and signaling overhead.

[0055] In conjunction with the third or fourth aspect above, in one possible implementation, the second information further includes cell identifier and / or PLMN information, which is used to verify the CAG information associated with the access node.

[0056] Based on this, by combining the cell identifier and PLMN information to verify the CAG information associated with the access node, the dimension of CAG verification is increased, making it difficult for unauthorized access users to match complete NPN information, thereby improving the accuracy and security of CAG verification.

[0057] In conjunction with the third or fourth aspect above, in one possible implementation, the second information further includes PLMN information, or cell identifier and PLMN information, and the second information is used to verify the PLMN information associated with the access node.

[0058] PLMN information is used to identify the operator or public network to which the access node belongs, while the cell identifier further locates the specific private network cell. By combining these two pieces of information, the network can determine whether the access node belongs to an authorized PLMN and the corresponding cell, thereby accurately verifying the legitimacy of the PLMN information associated with the access node.

[0059] In conjunction with the third or fourth aspect above, in one possible implementation, the second information further includes at least one of the following: cell identifier, PLMN information, or CAG information, and the second information is used to verify the access mode.

[0060] The access modes may include allowing CAG access, allowing PLMN access, and allowing both CAG and PLMN access.

[0061] Verification of access modes based on multi-dimensional NPN information improves the accuracy and security of access mode verification.

[0062] In conjunction with the third or fourth aspect described above, in one possible implementation, the second information includes NPN information for each cell associated with the access node, and each NPN information includes:

[0063] Information about the CAG associated with this community; or,

[0064] Information about the CAG associated with the cell, as well as the cell identifier and / or the PLMN associated with the cell.

[0065] Therefore, cell-level NPN information (such as CAG) can accurately verify the access requirements of different cells. For example, some cells may only allow access to specific CAG users, while other cells may allow public access. Cell-level CAG verification avoids the limitations of global NPN information associated with access nodes, improves the flexibility and accuracy of CAG verification, and thus enhances network security.

[0066] In conjunction with the third aspect above, in one possible implementation, the method further includes: the access node sending third information to the mobility management network element, the third information including CAG information associated with the first cell, the first cell being the cell accessed by the first terminal through the access node.

[0067] In other words, the access node sends the CAG information associated with the first cell it accesses to the mobility management network element, enabling the mobility management network element to perform cell-level CAG verification. Through further refined verification, the security of the private network when the access node is deployed in the network is improved.

[0068] In conjunction with the fourth aspect above, in one possible implementation, the method further includes: a mobility management network element receiving third information from an access node, the third information including CAG information associated with a first cell, the first cell being the cell accessed by the first terminal through the access node.

[0069] In conjunction with the third or fourth aspect described above, in one possible implementation, the third information is carried in a terminal association message, which includes at least one of the following:

[0070] Initial user equipment message;

[0071] Path switching request message; or,

[0072] Switch request confirmation message.

[0073] In other words, the access node indicates to the mobility management network element that it is a micro base station through the third information carried in the terminal association message. During the terminal association stage, it triggers the verification of the CAG information associated with the first cell. For example, it combines the verified NPN information associated with the access node to verify the CAG information associated with the first cell, thereby improving the accuracy of the verification and thus improving network security.

[0074] In conjunction with the third aspect above, in one possible implementation, the method further includes: an access node receiving a paging message, the paging message being used to instruct a second terminal to be paging, the access node being an access node corresponding to the second terminal determined based on fifth information and second information associated with N access nodes respectively, the fifth information indicating the cell that the second terminal is allowed to access.

[0075] In this system, the second information associated with each of the N access nodes indicates the CAG information associated with that access node, while the fifth information indicates the cells that the second terminal is allowed to access. When paging the second terminal is required, the cells that the second terminal is allowed to access, such as CAG cells, can be determined based on the fifth information. Then, based on the CAG information associated with each of the N access nodes, the access node corresponding to the cell that the second terminal is allowed to access is determined. Furthermore, during the paging process, the access node corresponding to the cell that the second terminal is allowed to access will receive the paging message and thus paging the second terminal.

[0076] Based on this, by paging the second terminal through the access node corresponding to the cell that allows the second terminal to access, the paging range can be effectively reduced, thereby reducing paging overhead.

[0077] In conjunction with the fourth aspect above, in one possible implementation, the device further includes: the mobility management network element sending a paging message to the first access node among the N access nodes based on the fifth information and the second information associated with the N access nodes respectively. The paging message is used to instruct the first access node to page the second terminal, and the fifth information indicates the cell that the second terminal is allowed to access.

[0078] The technical effects of the corresponding technical features in the fourth aspect and the third aspect, as well as in each possible implementation, are the same, and will not be repeated for the sake of brevity.

[0079] Fifthly, a communication method is provided, the execution subject of which has been described in the first aspect above and will not be repeated for the sake of brevity.

[0080] The method includes: an access node receiving a paging message, wherein the access node is the access node corresponding to the second terminal determined based on fifth information and second information associated with N access nodes respectively, the second information including CAG information associated with the corresponding access node, the fifth information indicating the cell that the second terminal is allowed to access, and paging the second terminal based on the paging message.

[0081] Based on this, allowing the access node corresponding to the cell to access the second terminal to page the second terminal can effectively reduce the paging range, thereby reducing paging overhead.

[0082] In conjunction with the fifth aspect described above, one possible implementation further includes: the access node sending the second information. Based on this, the network device can obtain the CAG information associated with the access node, thereby determining the paging range.

[0083] Sixthly, a communication method is provided, the execution subject of which has been described in the fourth aspect above, and will not be repeated for the sake of brevity.

[0084] The method includes: a mobility management network element receiving second information associated with N access nodes respectively, the second information including CAG information associated with the access nodes, and sending a paging message to a first access node among the N access nodes based on the N second information and a fifth information, the paging message being used to instruct the first access node to page a second terminal, and the fifth information indicating the cell that the second terminal is allowed to access.

[0085] In conjunction with the fifth or sixth aspect above, in one possible implementation, the second information is carried in the NG establishment request message.

[0086] In other words, the access node can indicate its associated CAG information to the mobility management network element through the second information carried in the NG establishment request message. This allows the mobility management network element to obtain the CAG information associated with the access node during the NG establishment phase, which facilitates the subsequent determination of the access node of the second terminal being paging based on the second information of N access nodes. This reduces the paging range, saves paging overhead, and lowers paging latency.

[0087] In a seventh aspect, this application provides a communication device, including modules or units for implementing the methods of any one of the first to sixth aspects or any possible implementations. Specifically, the modules, units, or means may be implemented in software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0088] Eighthly, this application provides a communication device including one or more processors for executing a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions) in memory, such that the communication device implements the methods of any one of the first to sixth aspects or any possible implementation.

[0089] Optionally, the device further includes a memory for storing computer programs and data. The memory is coupled to the processor, which, when executing the computer program stored in the memory, can implement the methods described in any of the first to sixth aspects or any possible implementations.

[0090] Optionally, the device further includes a communication interface for communicating with other devices. For example, the communication interface may be a transceiver, circuit, bus, module, or other type of communication interface.

[0091] Ninthly, this application provides a chip system including at least one processor for supporting the implementation of the functions involved in any of the first to sixth aspects or any possible implementations described above.

[0092] In one possible design, the chip system also includes a memory for storing computer programs and data, which may be located inside or outside the processor.

[0093] The chip system can consist of chips or include chips and other discrete components.

[0094] In one possible design, the chip system also includes a power supply circuit for supplying power to the chip system.

[0095] In a tenth aspect, this application provides a computer-readable storage medium including a computer program that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to implement the method of any one of the first to sixth aspects or any possible implementation.

[0096] In one aspect, this application provides a computer program product comprising: a computer program that, when run, causes a computer to perform the method of any one of the first to sixth aspects or any possible implementation.

[0097] In a twelfth aspect, embodiments of this application provide a system including the aforementioned access node and mobility management network element; or, including the aforementioned access node and gateway; or, including the aforementioned access node, gateway, and mobility management network element.

[0098] The seventh to twelfth aspects of this application have the same or corresponding technical solutions as the first to sixth aspects of this application, and the beneficial effects obtained by each aspect and the corresponding feasible implementation are similar, so they will not be described again. Attached Figure Description

[0099] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system applicable to the communication method provided in this application;

[0100] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the network architecture applicable to femto provided in this application;

[0101] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of an open radio access network (ORAN) provided in this application;

[0102] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the interaction flow of a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0103] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the interaction flow of a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0104] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the interaction flow of a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0105] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the interaction flow of a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0106] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the interaction flow of a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0107] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the interaction flow of a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0108] Figure 10 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0109] Figure 11 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0110] The technical solutions of this application can be applied to various communication systems, such as fifth-generation (5G) communication systems, satellite communication systems, and the solutions provided in this application can also be applied to future communication systems or other communication systems. This application does not limit the scope of the application.

[0111] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system applicable to the communication method provided in this application. Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of a possible, non-limiting system architecture. As shown in Figure 1, the communication system 100 includes a radio access network (RAN) 10 and a core network (CN) 20. RAN 10 includes at least one RAN node (110a and 110b in Figure 1, collectively referred to as 110) and at least one terminal (120a-120j in Figure 1, collectively referred to as 120). RAN 10 may also include other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay devices and / or wireless backhaul devices (not shown in Figure 1). Terminal 120 is wirelessly connected to RAN node 110. RAN node 110 is wirelessly or wiredly connected to core network 20. The core network equipment in core network 20 and RAN node 110 in RAN 10 can be different physical devices, or they can be the same physical device integrating core network logical functions and radio access network logical functions.

[0112] RAN 10 can be a cellular system related to the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), such as a 5G mobile communication system or a future-oriented evolution system. RAN 10 can also be an open access network (O-RAN or ORAN), a cloud radio access network (CRAN), or a wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) system. RAN 10 can also be a communication system that integrates two or more of the above systems.

[0113] RAN node 110, sometimes also referred to as access network equipment, RAN entity, or access node, is part of the communication system and is used to help terminals achieve wireless access. Multiple RAN nodes 110 in communication system 100 can be of the same type or different types. In some scenarios, the roles of RAN node 110 and terminal 120 are relative. For example, network element 120i in Figure 1 can be a helicopter or drone, which can be configured as a mobile base station. For terminals 120j accessing RAN 10 through network element 120i, network element 120i is a base station; but for base station 110a, network element 120i is a terminal. RAN node 110 and terminal 120 are sometimes both referred to as communication devices. For example, network elements 110a and 110b in Figure 1 can be understood as communication devices with base station functions, and network elements 120a-120j can be understood as communication devices with terminal functions.

[0114] In one possible scenario, a RAN node can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), an access point (AP), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next-generation NodeB (gNB), a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a WiFi system. A RAN node can be a macro base station (as shown in Figure 1, 110a), a micro base station or indoor station (as shown in Figure 1, 110b), a relay node or donor node, or a radio controller in a CRAN scenario. Optionally, a RAN node can also be a server, wearable device, vehicle, or in-vehicle equipment. For example, the access network equipment in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology can be a roadside unit (RSU).

[0115] In another possible scenario, multiple RAN nodes collaborate to assist the terminal in achieving wireless access, with each RAN node performing a portion of the base station's functions. For example, RAN nodes can be central units (CUs), distributed units (DUs), CU-control plane (CPs), CU-user plane (UPs), or radio units (RUs), etc. CUs and DUs can be separate entities or included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). RUs can be included in radio frequency equipment or radio frequency units, such as remote radio units (RRUs), active antenna units (AAUs), or remote radio heads (RRHs).

[0116] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, or RU may have different names, but those skilled in the art will understand their meaning. For example, in an ORAN system, CU can also be called O-CU (open CU), DU can also be called O-DU, CU-CP can also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP can also be called O-CU-UP, and RU can also be called O-RU. For ease of description, this application uses CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU, and RU as examples. Any of the units among CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, and RU in this application can be implemented through software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software and hardware modules.

[0117] Core network 20 is responsible for maintaining the subscription data of the mobile network and providing terminals with functions such as session management, mobility management, policy management, and security authentication. The core network includes, but is not limited to, one or more of the following network elements: Unified Data Management (UDM) element, Unified Data Repository (UDR) element, Policy Control Function (PCF) element, Session Management Function (SMF) element, Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) element, Orchestration and Management (OAM) element, Network Repository Function (NRF) element, Authentication Server Function (AUSF) element, Network Exposure Function (NEF) element, Gateway Mobile Location Center (GMLC) element, User Plane Function (UPF) element, and Location Management Function (LMF) element.

[0118] A terminal can also be called a terminal device, user equipment (UE), mobile station, mobile terminal, etc. Terminals can be widely used in various scenarios, such as device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grids, smart furniture, smart offices, smart wearables, smart transportation, smart cities, etc. Terminals can be mobile phones, tablets, computers with wireless transceiver capabilities, wearable devices, vehicles, drones, helicopters, airplanes, ships, robots, robotic arms, smart home devices, etc.

[0119] Currently, Femto, as a miniaturized base station deployed in 5G communication networks, is a type of small-range, low-power cellular base station. Femto can be deployed in indoor environments (such as residences, businesses, shopping malls, etc.). For example, a Femto can be a micro base station or an indoor station (as shown in Figure 1, 110b). It aims to solve the problem of insufficient coverage by macro base stations, providing high-density, low-cost wireless access services. For example, it can be deployed in residences to enhance home broadband and fill indoor signal blind spots; in enterprises, it can be deployed to create dedicated networks, providing data security protection and ensuring the quality of service (QoS) within the dedicated network, such as network reliability and stability; and in hotspot areas such as shopping malls and airports, it can alleviate network congestion.

[0120] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the network architecture applicable to femto provided in this application. The current NR femto network supports two typical architectures: the direct connection architecture shown in Figure 2(a) and the gateway relay architecture shown in Figure 2(b).

[0121] In the direct-connect architecture shown in Figure 2(a), the femto establishes a direct connection (or simply direct connection) with the 5G core network (5GC) through the NG interface to realize the interaction of service data and signaling. The NG interface can include the NG control-plane (NG-C) and the NG user-plane (NG-U). NG-C is used to transmit control signaling (such as access authentication and mobility management) between the access network and the core network device, while NG-U is used to transmit user service data. A security gateway (SeGW) can also be deployed between the femto and the 5GC to provide a secure transmission channel for network connectivity, ensuring the security of signaling and data interaction.

[0122] In the gateway relay architecture shown in Figure 2(b), the femto first connects to the femto gateway (GW), and then communicates with the 5GC through the femto GW. An NG interface, such as the aforementioned NG-C and NG-U, is established between the femto and the 5GC. The femto GW acts as a proxy node between the femto and the 5GC, simulating the gNB role for the 5GC and the 5GC role for the femto, forming a bidirectional proxy mechanism that makes the femto and the 5GC logically invisible to each other. Multiple femtos can access the same femto GW, while a single femto typically connects to only one femto GW, facilitating centralized management and traffic aggregation. Femtos are connected via the Xn interface. A SeGW can also be deployed between femtos and femto GWs to provide a secure transmission channel for network connections, ensuring the security of signaling and data interaction.

[0123] The direct connection architecture shown in Figure 2(a) has higher similarity to the gNB in ​​the NR system, higher protocol compatibility, and a simpler architecture with lower maintenance complexity. The gateway terminal architecture shown in Figure 2(b) is not aware of the femto. From the perspective of the 5GC, the cells under the femto are all cells under the GW, which is beneficial to reduce the impact on the 5GC when the femto is deployed on a large scale.

[0124] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of an ORAN network architecture provided in this application. In the network architecture shown in Figure 3, the RAN intelligent controller (RIC), also known as the ORAN intelligent controller, is mainly responsible for collecting network information and executing corresponding optimization tasks. It communicates with the base station central unit (gNB-CU) and base station distributed unit (gNB-DU) that support ORAN functions through the E2 interface, and also communicates with the micro base station central unit (femto-CU) and micro base station distributed unit (femto-DU) through the E2 interface. The gNB-CU and gNB-DU communicate with each other through the F1 interface, and the femto-CU and femto-DU also communicate through the F1 interface, respectively realizing the coordinated processing of their respective functions. The femto GW communicates with the femto-CU via the NG interface, and can communicate with the RIC through the E2 interface to realize information exchange and network coordinated control.

[0125] To better understand the embodiments of this application, the terms that may be involved in this application will be briefly explained below.

[0126] 1. Non-public network (NPN): A private mobile communication network provided for specific departments or groups, isolated from public networks (such as PLMN) to ensure exclusive access to communication resources and data security.

[0127] NPN includes the following two types:

[0128] 1) Stand-alone non-public network (SNPN): A dedicated 5G network that is deployed independently from base stations to core network to cloud platform without relying on PLMN for network functions.

[0129] 2) Public network integrated non-public network (PNI-NPN): Operated by the mobile network operator (MNO), it provides NPN services through the PLMN and shares the MNO's 5G public network equipment, spectrum, antenna and other resources.

[0130] 2. CAG Mechanism: This is a mechanism defined in the 3GPP standard for NPN access control. The CAG mechanism restricts the terminals allowed to access a specific private network by using identifiers (such as CAG IDs), thereby achieving secure isolation and exclusive resource access within the private network.

[0131] PNI-NPN achieves private network isolation through the CAG mechanism. Access nodes deployed in a PNI-NPN network, such as femto nodes, can use the CAG mechanism for access control. A PNI-NPN ID is formed by combining a CAG ID (such as a 32-bit identifier) ​​and a PLMN ID, uniquely identifying a PNI-PNP. A PNI-PNP can also be referred to as a CAG network. Cells supporting CAG networks are called CAG cells. In a PNI-PNP, terminals subscribed to the PNI-NPN ID, i.e., terminals identified by the CAG as allowed access, are permitted to access the corresponding CAG cell. The CAG ID can be understood as a group identifier for the CAG, and the CAG ID corresponds to a CAG cell; that is, terminals within a CAG group access the corresponding CAG cell.

[0132] femto can cover one or more CAG cells, or in other words, femto can provide network services for one or more CAG cells. This includes providing network access and data transmission services to terminals subscribed to CAG cells.

[0133] To implement PNI-PNP access control, the system information block (SIB) 1 broadcast by the CAG cell may include the following NPN-related fields:

[0134] The NPN-Identity field contains a list of CAG IDs corresponding to each PLMN. The CAG-Identity field is the CAG ID in the CAG ID list. In other words, the NPN-Identity field indicates the CAG cell covered by femto.

[0135] The NPN Identification Information (NPN-IdentityInfo) field contains a list of NPN-Identities and related information about these NPN-Identities.

[0136] The NPN Identification Information List (npn-IdentityInfoList) field represents a collection of NPN-IdentityInfo entries. An NPN-Identity is listed in one of the NPN-IdentityInfo entries within the npn-IdentityInfoList.

[0137] Based on this, the SIB1 broadcast by femto includes an NPN identification information list field. Each NPN identification information field in the NPN identification information list field is associated with a cell ID and a CAG ID list. Different CAG IDs in the CAG ID list represent different user groups.

[0138] 3. Access Modes: femto uses the CAG mechanism for access control and supports the following three access modes.

[0139] 1) Open Access Mode: In this mode, femto activates a PLMN cell. The terminal accesses the cell according to the access procedure for public network cells. The cell activated in this mode can be called a PLMN-only cell.

[0140] 2) Hybrid access mode: In this mode, femto activates a cell that supports both PLMN and CAG. Terminals subscribed to PNI-PNP can access the cell via CAG, while other terminals can access it via PLMN. In this mode, the activated cell can be called a CAG-supporting cell.

[0141] 3) Closed access mode: In this mode, femto activates a CAG cell. Terminals subscribed to PNI-PNP access the cell via CAG. In this mode, the activated cell can be called an NPN-only cell.

[0142] In this embodiment of the application, a femto can support one or more cells. When a femto supports multiple cells, different cells of the same femto can correspond to different access modes. For example, cell 1 covered by a femto is a CAG cell, cell 2 is a CAG-only cell, and cell 3 is a PLMN-only cell.

[0143] Currently, femto identification uses access node identifiers, such as gNB IDs. For example, when establishing an NG interface, femto can carry this gNB ID when sending an NG establishment request message to the core network side, such as an AMF network element. The AMF network element cannot identify the type of access node based on this gNB, that is, it cannot identify whether the access node is a femto or a macro base station. Consequently, the AMF network element cannot trigger verification for femto, making the deployment of femto in the network uncontrolled and affecting network security.

[0144] In view of this, this application proposes a communication method in which the access node indicates itself as a femto to the AMF network element, so as to assist the core network side in identifying the type of the access node and then verifying the femto, thereby improving network security.

[0145] In this application, the femto is categorized as a micro base station based on its transmit power (or coverage area). However, this application does not limit this classification. For example, different naming systems may exist when naming base stations based on transmit power (or coverage area). For instance, base stations with the same transmit power (or coverage area) may be classified into different types of base stations. That is, femto can correspond to pico base stations, femtocells, etc., under different naming systems. Furthermore, this application does not limit the naming of femto. In future evolution, femto can be replaced with other names. However, any small base station solution provided in this application that addresses the technical problems raised in this application falls within the scope of protection of this application.

[0146] In this embodiment, the terms "first," "second," etc., distinguish between identical or similar items with essentially the same function and purpose, without limiting their order or quantity. Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are not necessarily different. In this embodiment, "first," "second," etc., can also distinguish different information, cells, access nodes, etc., in the following text.

[0147] In this application embodiment, "at least one" may include one or more, and "multiple" in this application embodiment includes two or more.

[0148] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the interaction flow of a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. Referring to Figure 4, this embodiment of the application will be described using the interaction between an access node and a mobility management network element as an example. The access node can be, for example, 110b in Figure 1. The access node can be replaced by components within the access node, such as chips, chip systems, processors, etc., or it can be replaced by logical modules or software capable of implementing some or all of its functions. The mobility management network element can be, for example, the AMF network element in the core network 20 in Figure 1, or the mobility management network element can be replaced by components within the mobility management network element, such as chips, chip systems, processors, etc., or it can be replaced by logical modules or software capable of implementing some or all of its functions.

[0149] It should be understood that the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application can be applied to the direct connection architecture shown in Figure 2(a) or the gateway relay architecture shown in Figure 2(b), and this application does not limit it in this regard. When the communication method in the embodiments of this application is applied to the gateway relay architecture, the information transmitted between the access node and the mobility management network element needs to be relayed through the gateway. That is, in the gateway relay architecture, the access node sending information to the mobility management network element as described below can be the access node sending information to the gateway (such as a femto GW), and the gateway forwarding the information to the mobility management network element. Similarly, the mobility management network element sending information to the access node can be the mobility management network element sending information to the gateway, and the gateway forwarding the information to the access node. For the sake of brevity, these will not be described in detail below.

[0150] The method 200 shown in Figure 4 may include steps S210 to S230, and the steps in method 200 are described in detail below.

[0151] S210, the access node determines the first information, which indicates that the access node is a micro base station.

[0152] Here, a micro base station can refer to a femto in an NR system, or other NR small stations similar to femto, or other micro base stations in the evolution of communication systems, etc., and this application does not limit this. For a more concise explanation of micro base stations and femto, please refer to the preceding text.

[0153] In this embodiment, the mobility management network element needs to execute differentiated policies based on the access node type. For example, for access nodes of the micro base station type, a verification process is required. Therefore, the access node needs to determine its own type. For example, the access node reads its own configuration parameters, such as transmit power, deployment scenario label, node identifier, etc., to determine whether it is a micro base station. For example, if the node identifier is "femto", the access node is determined to be a micro base station. Furthermore, the access node determines the first information that can indicate the micro base station, such as by filling in the values ​​of information elements (referred to as information cells) in the signaling to indicate the first information.

[0154] In one possible example, indicating that an access node is a micro base station via the first piece of information can be an explicit indication method. For instance, an access node can be indicated as a micro base station through a field in the signaling: one bit of this field might indicate the type of access node, with a value of 1 indicating a micro base station and a value of 0 indicating a non-micro base station; or two bits of this field might indicate the type of access node, with values ​​of 00 indicating a micro base station, 01 indicating a macro base station, and 10 indicating a pico base station, etc. The above examples do not limit the correspondence between bit ratios and access node types.

[0155] When indicating that an access node is a micro base station through a field in the signaling, the field can be a newly added field or a reused existing field, and the signaling carrying the first information can be newly added signaling or reused existing signaling; this application does not limit this.

[0156] In another possible example, indicating that the access node is a micro base station through the first information can be an implicit indication method, or it can be an indication that the access node is a micro base station by reusing other information sent by the access node.

[0157] In one possible implementation of implicit indication, the first information is the NPN information associated with the access node. That is, when the access node sends the NPN information to the mobility management network element, the mobility management network element can determine that the access node is a micro base station based on the NPN information. The NPN information may include at least one of the following:

[0158] The first item is the CAG information associated with the access node. The CAG information associated with the access node can be, for example, the CAG ID list mentioned earlier, such as {CAG ID 1, CAG ID 2, ...}. That is, the CAG information corresponding to the CAG cell covered by the access node, or the CAG information associated with the access node is used to restrict the terminals accessing the corresponding CAG cell.

[0159] The second item is the cell identifier, which can be, for example, a cell identifier (cellIdentity) associated with the NPN identifier information field mentioned earlier. This cell identifier can correspond to multiple CAG cells (or multiple CAG networks) corresponding to CAG IDs. For example, the cell corresponding to cellIdentity 1 can support access for multiple different user groups, such as supporting the shopping mall employee network corresponding to CAG ID 1, and / or the shopping mall member consumer network corresponding to CAG ID 2.

[0160] The third item is PLMN information, such as the PLMN ID mentioned earlier.

[0161] Optionally, the aforementioned NPN information can be cell-level NPN information, or in other words, the NPN information includes the NPN information corresponding to a single cell, or the NPN information corresponding to each of multiple cells. Cell-level NPN information means that one logical cell corresponds to one NPN, for example, the correspondence can be expressed through cell identifiers and NPN information: {cellIdentity 1: NPN info 1, cellIdentity 2: NPN info 2, ...}. In this case, the NPN information associated with each cell can include at least one of the following: the CAG information associated with the cell, the cell identifier of the cell, or the PLMN information corresponding to the cell.

[0162] In another possible implementation of implicit indication, the first piece of information is the identifier of the access node. That is, when the access node sends its own identifier to the mobility management network element, the mobility management network element can identify it as a micro base station based on the access node's identifier. In this case, the identifier of the micro base station should be distinct from the identifiers of other access nodes in the network.

[0163] To differentiate the identifiers of base stations from those of other access nodes in the network, as an example, the identifier of an access node can be an access node identifier. For instance, in an NR system, the gNB ID is used as the identifier for a micro base station. This means that the identification of a micro base station in the network follows the same standard as other gNBs. In this case, to identify whether an access node is a micro base station based on the access network identifier, a distinctive identifier can be designed for the micro base station based on the access node identifier (such as the gNB). Method 1: The micro base station identifier belongs to a preset sequence set, which includes at least one access node identifier (such as the gNB ID). For example, the sequence set can be gNB IDs within a preset range. Method 2: At least one element of the micro base station identifier can be a preset value. For example, the value of one or more elements (or bits) of the access node identifier (such as the gNB ID) can be set to a preset value. For instance, if the last four elements of the gNB ID are all 0, or if the last four elements are within a preset range (such as 0000~1000), this can be used as the identifier of the micro base station.

[0164] To differentiate the identifiers of base stations from those of other access nodes in the network, as another example, the identifier of an access node can be a proprietary identifier, such as a newly defined identifier, to distinguish it from the current access node identifier (such as gNB ID).

[0165] S220, the access node sends the first information to the mobility management network element.

[0166] Correspondingly, the mobility management network element receives the first information from the access node.

[0167] In this step, the access node sends first information to the mobility management network element to indicate that the access node itself is a micro base station, so that the mobility management network element can identify the type of the access node.

[0168] For example, the first information can be carried in signaling and sent. When an access node sends the first information to a mobility management network element, it can mean that the access node sends signaling carrying the first information to the mobility management network element. Correspondingly, the mobility management network element receives the signaling from the access node and parses the signaling to obtain the first information.

[0169] This application does not limit the signaling carrying the first information; for example, it can be newly added signaling or signaling already agreed upon in the protocol. For instance, the first information can be carried in an NG establishment request message or a terminal association message. When the first information is carried in an NG establishment request message, verification of the micro base station is triggered during the NG establishment phase, improving the security of deploying micro base stations in the network. When the first information is carried in a terminal association message, verification of the micro base station is triggered during the terminal association phase, not limited to verification of the micro base station during the NG establishment phase, enhancing the flexibility of network deployment, for example, making it more suitable for the flexible deployment of temporary or mobile micro base stations. The signaling carrying the first information will be described in detail below with reference to Figures 5 and 6.

[0170] S230, the mobility management network element verifies the access node based on the first information.

[0171] In other words, the mobility management network element can determine that the access node is a micro base station based on the first information, thus identifying it as a micro base station. This allows for the verification of the micro base station.

[0172] This application does not limit the scheme for verifying micro base stations. For example, the mobility management network element performs a legitimacy check on the identity of the micro base station based on a preset verification strategy, such as:

[0173] Verify the access node ID:

[0174] Determine whether the identifier of the access node communicating with the core network is the same as or related to the identity used by the access node during SeGW authentication. Specifically, "related to the identifier of the access node communicating with the core network and the identity used by the access node during SeGW authentication" means that if the access node uses a related identifier to communicate with the core network, there is a secure mapping relationship between that related identifier and the access node's identity during SeGW authentication.

[0175] In one possible example, the mobility management element can also verify the access mode of the micro base station. The access mode has been described in the preceding examples and may include, for example, at least one of: open access mode, hybrid access mode, or closed access mode. For instance, the core network side pre-configures the expected access mode of the access node, and the mobility management element determines whether the expected access mode of the access node matches the actual access mode used.

[0176] Therefore, in this embodiment of the application, the access node indicates to the mobility management network element that the access node itself is a micro base station, so that the mobility management network element can identify the micro base station and thus verify the micro base station, thereby improving network security.

[0177] The following description, in conjunction with method 300a in Figure 5 and method 300b in Figure 6, provides an exemplary illustration of verifying micro base stations at different stages, or in other words, using different signaling bearers to indicate the first information of micro base stations.

[0178] Referring to method 300a in Figure 5, the method includes:

[0179] S310a, the access node determines the first information, which indicates that the access node is a micro base station.

[0180] This step can be referred to as S210 in the aforementioned embodiment, and will not be repeated for the sake of brevity.

[0181] S320a, the access node sends an NG establishment request message to the mobility management network element, and the NG establishment request message carries first information.

[0182] Correspondingly, the mobility management network element receives the NG establishment request message from the access node, and can obtain the first information by parsing the NG establishment request message.

[0183] In other words, when the access node sends an NG establishment request message to the mobility management network element to request the establishment of the NG interface, it also indicates that the access node is a micro base station through the first information carried in the NG establishment request message. This saves signaling overhead and reduces the transmission delay of the first information.

[0184] In S330a, the mobility management network element verifies the access node based on the first information in the NG request message.

[0185] In this step, the process of the mobility management network element verifying the access node has been described in S230 of the aforementioned embodiment, and will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0186] S340a, the mobility management network element sends an NG establishment response message to the access node.

[0187] Correspondingly, the access node receives the NG establishment response message from the mobility management network element.

[0188] In this embodiment, the mobility management network element can determine whether to establish an NG interface with the access node based on the authentication result of the access node in S330a. For example, if the access node authentication is successful, the mobility management network element sends an NG establishment response message to trigger NG interface establishment; if the access node authentication fails, the mobility management network element does not respond to the NG establishment request and terminates the signaling process. As another example, if the access node authentication is successful, the mobility management network element sends an NG establishment response message carrying a success indication to trigger NG interface establishment; if the access node authentication fails, the mobility management network element sends an NG establishment response message carrying a failure indication, which can be a failure reason indication, such as indicating that the access node identity is invalid.

[0189] In this embodiment, the access node sends an NG establishment request message carrying first information to the mobility management network element. The first information carried in the NG establishment request message indicates that the access node is a micro base station, thereby providing a basis for triggering micro base station verification during the NG interface establishment phase, enabling early verification of micro base stations, and improving the security of deploying micro base stations in the network.

[0190] Referring to method 300b in Figure 6, the method includes:

[0191] S310b, the access node determines the first information, which indicates that the access node is a micro base station.

[0192] This step can be referred to as S210 in the aforementioned embodiment, and will not be repeated for the sake of brevity.

[0193] S320b, the access node sends a terminal association message to the mobility management network element, and the terminal association message carries first information.

[0194] Correspondingly, the mobility management network element receives terminal association messages from the access node, and can obtain the first information by parsing the terminal association messages.

[0195] The terminal-associated message may include, but is not limited to, at least one of the following:

[0196] The first item, Initial User Equipment Message: After the terminal completes random access and establishes an RRC connection, it is sent by the access node to the mobility management network element to create a terminal context and transmit non-access stratum (NAS) signaling.

[0197] The second item is the path switch request message; during cell handover, the target access node notifies the mobility management element to update the user plane path, triggering the SMF to adjust the UPF data forwarding channel.

[0198] The third item is the handover request ack message: The target access node confirms to the mobility management network element that it can accept the handover request and provides the resource configuration for establishing the target side bearer.

[0199] In S330b, the mobility management network element verifies the access node based on the first information in the terminal association message.

[0200] In this step, the process of the mobility management network element verifying the access node has been described in S230 of the aforementioned embodiment, and will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0201] It is understood that before the access node sends a terminal association message carrying first information to the mobility management network element in S320b to indicate that the access node is a micro base station, the access node and the mobility management network element should complete the establishment of the NG interface. That is, in S320b, the access node sends the terminal association message carrying first information to the mobility management network element through the NG interface. This embodiment does not limit the signaling interaction during the NG interface establishment process.

[0202] In this embodiment, the access node sends a terminal association message carrying first information to the mobility management network element. The first information carried in the terminal association message indicates that the access node is a micro base station, thereby triggering the verification of the micro base station during the terminal association stage. This is not limited to the verification of the micro base station during the NG establishment stage, and enhances the flexibility of network deployment. For example, it is more suitable for the flexible deployment of temporary or mobile micro base stations.

[0203] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the interaction flow of a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. Referring to Figure 7, this embodiment uses the interaction between an access node, a mobility management network element or gateway, and an operation management and maintenance network element as an example for illustration. The access node can be, for example, 110b in Figure 1. The access node can be replaced by components in the access node, such as chips, chip systems, processors, etc., or it can be replaced by logical modules or software capable of implementing some or all of its functions. The mobility management network element and the operation management and maintenance network element can be, for example, network elements in the core network 20 in Figure 1, namely the AMF network element and the OAM network element. Alternatively, the mobility management network element can be replaced by components in the mobility management network element, such as chips, chip systems, processors, etc., or it can be replaced by logical modules or software capable of implementing some or all of its functions. The gateway can be deployed between the access node and the mobility association network element, as shown in femto GW in Figure 2(b). The gateway can be replaced by components in the gateway, such as chips, chip systems, processors, etc., or it can be replaced by logical modules or software capable of implementing some or all of its functions.

[0204] It should be understood that when this embodiment is applied to the direct connection architecture shown in Figure 2(a), the access node can directly interact with the mobility management network element. When this embodiment is applied to the gateway relay architecture shown in Figure 2(b), the gateway can act as a proxy for the mobility management network element and interact with the access node to implement the corresponding technical solution. When implementing the relevant methods of the embodiments of this application, the gateway and the mobility management network element perform the same or similar steps. For ease of description, the interaction between the mobility management network element and the access node and the operation association maintenance network element is used as an example for explanation.

[0205] The method 400 shown in Figure 7 may include steps S410 to S430, and the steps in method 400 are described in detail below.

[0206] S410, the access node determines the second information, which includes the information of the CAG associated with the access node.

[0207] The information of the CAG associated with the access node has been explained in the previous example and will not be repeated for the sake of brevity. Optionally, the information of the CAG associated with the access node can be at the cell level. That is, when the access node covers multiple cells, the information of the CAG associated with the access node includes the information of the CAG associated with each cell. For example, the correspondence between the information of each cell and the CAG can be expressed by the cell identifier and the CAG ID list: {cellIdentity 1: CAG ID List 1, cellIdentity 2: CAG ID List 2,…}.

[0208] For example, the information of the CAG associated with the access node can be preset, such as the CAG information issued by the operation, management and maintenance network element.

[0209] S420a, the access node sends the second information to the mobility management network element.

[0210] Correspondingly, the mobility management network element receives the second information from the access node.

[0211] For example, the second information can be carried in signaling and sent. When an access node sends the second information to a mobility management network element, it can mean that the access node sends signaling carrying the second information to the mobility management network element. Correspondingly, the mobility management network element receives the signaling from the access node and parses the signaling to obtain the second information.

[0212] The second information can be understood as the NPN information in the aforementioned examples. In some examples, the second information may also include cell identifier and / or PLMN information. For NPN information and related explanations, please refer to the aforementioned examples; for brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0213] When this embodiment is combined with the embodiment shown in Figure 4, the second information can be independent of the first information, or the second information can be the first information. For example, when the first information carries NPN information and implicitly indicates that the access node is a micro base station through the NPN information, the second information and the first information are the same information, which can reduce signaling overhead.

[0214] This application does not limit the signaling carrying the second information; for example, it can be newly added signaling or signaling already agreed upon in the protocol. To facilitate further verification of the cell-level CAG information, the second information can be sent by the access node to the mobility management network element during the NG interface establishment phase. For example, the second information can be carried in an NG establishment request message.

[0215] S420b, the operation, management and maintenance network element can send this second information to the mobility management network element.

[0216] Correspondingly, the mobility management network element receives second information from the operation, management and maintenance network element.

[0217] Optionally, the operation, management and maintenance network element can send the second information corresponding to one or more access nodes to the mobility management network element. In the scenario of multiple access nodes, the operation, management and maintenance network element can send the second information corresponding to multiple access nodes to the mobility management network element, which can reduce system complexity and signaling overhead.

[0218] S420a and S420b described above can be executed selectively. In addition, when this embodiment is combined with the embodiment shown in Figure 4, the mobility management network element can also obtain NPN information by parsing the first information.

[0219] S430, Mobility Management Network Elements verify the CAG information associated with the access node.

[0220] This application does not limit the specific verification method used to verify the CAG information associated with the access node. For example, the mobility management network element can perform consistency verification on the received CAG information based on the pre-configured CAG information associated with the access node.

[0221] In one possible implementation, the mobility management network element can combine the cell identifier and / or PLMN information in the second information to verify the CAG information associated with the access node. For example, the mobility management network element can match the cell identifier with the pre-configured CAG information of that cell to verify the CAG information in the second information; or, for another example, the mobility management network element can verify the CAG information in the second information based on the PLMN information in the second information and the preset or pre-configured correspondence between PLMN and CAG.

[0222] In one possible implementation, the mobility management network element can also verify the PLMN information in the second information. For example, the mobility management network element can verify the PLMN information in the second information based on a preset or pre-configured PLMN associated with the access node; or the mobility management network element can also verify the PLMN information in combination with the cell identifier and / or CAG information in the second information. This application does not limit the specific verification method.

[0223] In one possible implementation, the mobility management network element can also verify the access mode of the micro base station. The access mode has been described in the preceding examples and may include, for example, at least one of: open access mode, hybrid access mode, or closed access mode. For instance, the mobility management network element verifies the access mode of the access node based on second information and a preset or pre-configured expected access mode of the access node. For example, the second information includes information about the CAG associated with the access node; if the access mode of the access node is open access mode, the access mode verification fails.

[0224] In this embodiment, the access node sends second information to the mobility management network element (MLE) to indicate the CAG information associated with the access node, so that the MLE can verify the CAG information associated with the access node. This enables verification of the base station-level CAG information, making CAG verification more comprehensive and enhancing the security of the private network services provided by the access node within its coverage area.

[0225] Based on the embodiment shown in Figure 7 above, after verifying the CAG information associated with the access node, the mobility management network element can also verify the CAG information of the first cell accessed by the terminal based on the terminal association message, further improving network security.

[0226] Referring to Figure 8, the method 500 includes the following steps:

[0227] S510, the access node determines the second information, which includes the information of the CAG associated with the access node.

[0228] This step can be referred to as S410 in the aforementioned embodiment, and will not be repeated for the sake of brevity.

[0229] S520a, the access node sends an NG establishment request message to the mobility management network element, and the NG establishment request message carries second information.

[0230] Correspondingly, the mobility management network element receives the NG establishment request message from the access node and obtains the second information by parsing the NG establishment request message.

[0231] In other words, the access node sends an NG establishment request message to the mobility management network element, requesting the establishment of the NG interface. Simultaneously, the second information carried in the NG establishment request message indicates the information of the CAG associated with the access node. This saves signaling overhead and reduces the transmission latency of the second information, allowing verification of the CAG associated with the access node to be triggered during the NG interface establishment phase.

[0232] In S520b, the operation, management, and maintenance network element sends the second information to the mobility management network element.

[0233] Correspondingly, the mobility management network element receives second information from the operation, management and maintenance network element.

[0234] This step can be referred to as S420b in the aforementioned embodiment, and will not be repeated for the sake of brevity.

[0235] S530, the mobility management network element verifies the CAG information associated with the access node.

[0236] In this step, the process of the mobility management network element verifying the CAG information associated with the access node has been described in S430 of the aforementioned embodiment, and will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0237] S540, the mobility management network element sends an NG establishment response message to the access node.

[0238] Correspondingly, the access node receives the NG establishment response message from the mobility management network element.

[0239] In this embodiment, the verification result of the CAG information associated with the access node in S530 can be associated with the establishment of the NG interface. For example, if the verification is successful, the mobility management network element sends an NG establishment response message to trigger the establishment of the NG interface; if the verification fails, the mobility management network element does not respond to the NG establishment request and terminates the signaling process. Alternatively, if the verification is successful, the mobility management network element sends an NG establishment response message carrying a success indication to trigger the establishment of the NG interface; if the verification fails, the mobility management network element sends an NG establishment response message carrying a failure indication. However, this application does not limit this, meaning that the verification result of the CAG information associated with the access node may be unrelated to the establishment of the NG interface.

[0240] S550, the access node sends a terminal association message to the mobility management network element. The terminal association message carries third information, which includes the CAG information associated with the first cell.

[0241] Correspondingly, the mobility management network element receives terminal association messages from the access node and obtains third-party information by parsing the terminal association messages.

[0242] The first cell can be the cell that the first terminal accesses through the access node. The terminal association message can correspond to the first terminal. This cell can be, for example, a logical cell, that is, it includes one or more CAG cells. The information of the CAG associated with the first cell can include the CAG ID corresponding to each CAG cell under a logical cell.

[0243] Optionally, the third information may also include the cell identifier of the first cell and / or the PLMN associated with the first cell. The third information can be NPN information at the cell level.

[0244] For details on terminal association messages, please refer to the explanation in the previous example; for the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0245] This embodiment uses the example of a terminal-associated message carrying third information for illustration, but this application does not limit the signaling that carries the third information. For example, it can also be other signaling or newly defined signaling.

[0246] S560, the mobility management network element verifies the CAG information associated with the first cell based on the second information.

[0247] For example, the mobility management network element verifies the legality of the CAG information associated with the first cell based on the CAG information associated with the access node in the second information, such as verifying whether the CAG information associated with the first cell is consistent with the CAG information associated with the first cell in the second information. Optionally, the mobility management network element can combine the cell identifier and / or PLMN information in the second information, as well as the cell identifier and / or PLMN information associated with the first cell, to verify the CAG information associated with the first cell. For example, the mobility management network element matches the corresponding cell identifier in the second information based on the cell identifier of the first cell, and then obtains the CAG information corresponding to that cell identifier in the second information, and performs consistency verification between the CAG information and the CAG information associated with the first cell in the third information.

[0248] In one possible implementation, the mobility management network element can also verify the PLMN information in the third information. For example, the mobility management network element can verify the PLMN information associated with the first cell in the third information based on the PLMN associated with the access node in the second information; or the mobility management network element can also verify the PLMN information in the third information by combining the cell identifier and / or CAG information in the second information. This application does not limit the specific verification method.

[0249] In one possible implementation, the mobility management network element can also verify the access mode of the micro base station. The access mode has been described in the preceding examples and may include, for example, at least one of: open access mode, hybrid access mode, or closed access mode. For example, the mobility management network element verifies the access mode of the access node carried in the third information based on a preset or pre-configured expected access mode of the access node.

[0250] In this embodiment, the access node triggers CAG information verification during the NG interface establishment phase and the terminal association phase, respectively. Through two CAG verifications, network security is further improved.

[0251] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the interaction flow of a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. The execution subject in this embodiment is the same or similar to that in the embodiments shown in Figures 7 and 8. The difference is that in this embodiment, there are multiple access nodes communicating with the mobility management network element. In the following text, N access nodes represent one or more access nodes that are connected to the mobility management network element.

[0252] The method 600 shown in Figure 9 may include steps S610 to S640. The steps in method 600 are described in detail below.

[0253] S610, each of the N access nodes can determine the second information, which includes the information of the CAG associated with the access node.

[0254] In this step, the implementation method for each access node to determine the second information is similar to S410 in the aforementioned embodiment, and will not be repeated for the sake of brevity.

[0255] S620a, each of the N access nodes sends the second information to the mobility management network element.

[0256] Correspondingly, the mobility management network element receives second information from each access node.

[0257] In S620b, the operation, management, and maintenance network element sends the second information to the mobility management network element.

[0258] Correspondingly, the mobility management network element receives second information from the operation, management and maintenance network element.

[0259] For the above S620a and S620b, please refer to the description in the foregoing embodiments, which will not be repeated for the sake of brevity.

[0260] S630, the mobility management network element sends a paging message to the first access node among the N access nodes based on the fifth information and N second information. The paging message is used to instruct the first access node to page the second terminal.

[0261] The fifth piece of information indicates the cells that the second terminal is allowed to access, such as CAG cells, or in other words, the PNI-PNP network (or CAG network) that the second terminal is allowed to access. Optionally, the fifth piece of information may also indicate cells that other terminals are allowed to access, and may include, for example, a list of UE-allowed PNI-NPN IDs. Optionally, the fifth piece of information may also include a CAG-only indication for the terminal, used to indicate that only terminals supporting access to CAG networks are supported.

[0262] For example, when the network side needs to page a second terminal, the mobility management network element can determine the CAG cell that the second terminal is allowed to access based on the fifth information, and then determine the first access node corresponding to the CAG cell that the second terminal is allowed to access based on the second information corresponding to the N access nodes, that is, the CAG associated with the N access nodes. Further, the mobility management network element sends a paging message to the first access node so that the first access node can page the second terminal.

[0263] In this embodiment, by paging the second terminal through the access node corresponding to the cell that allows the second terminal to access, the paging range can be effectively reduced, thereby reducing paging overhead.

[0264] It should be noted that when the embodiments of this application are applied to the ORAN architecture, in any of the above embodiments, the steps and related implementation methods performed by the operation, management and maintenance network elements can be replaced by RIC execution.

[0265] In the various embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified or logically conflicting, the terminology and / or descriptions between the embodiments are consistent and can be referenced mutually. Technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments based on their inherent logical relationships. For example, the embodiment shown in FIG7 is combined with the embodiment shown in FIG4, that is, after verifying the access node, the verification of the NPN information associated with the access node is performed; another example is the embodiment shown in FIG9 combined with the embodiments shown in FIG4 and FIG7, that is, after verifying the access node and the NPN information associated with the access node, the paging range is determined based on the CAG information associated with the access node and the CAG cells that allow the second terminal to access, thereby reducing paging overhead.

[0266] The methods provided in the embodiments of this application have been described in detail above with reference to several accompanying drawings. The apparatus provided in the embodiments of this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0267] Figures 10 and 11 are schematic block diagrams of possible apparatuses provided in embodiments of this application. One apparatus provided in this application, as shown in Figure 10, includes a transceiver module 710 and a processing module 720.

[0268] One possible design is that the device 700 is used to implement the method embodiment shown in FIG4 above.

[0269] When the device 700 is used to implement the function of an access node, the processing module 720 is used to determine the first information, which indicates that the access node is a micro base station; the transceiver module 710 is used to send the first information to the mobility management network element.

[0270] When the device 700 is used to implement the function of a mobility management network element, the transceiver module 710 is used to receive first information from the access node, which indicates that the access node is a micro base station; the processing module 720 is used to verify the access node based on the first information.

[0271] One possible design is that the device 700 is used to implement the method embodiment shown in FIG7 above.

[0272] When the device 700 is used to implement the function of the access node, the processing module 720 is used to determine the second information, which includes the information of the CAG associated with the access node; the transceiver module 710 is used to send the second information to the mobility management network element.

[0273] When the device 700 is used to implement the functions of a mobility management network element or gateway, the transceiver module 710 is used to receive second information, which includes information of the CAG associated with the access node; the processing module 720 is used to verify the information of the CAG associated with the access node.

[0274] One possible design is that the device 700 is used to implement the method embodiment shown in FIG9 above.

[0275] When the device 700 is used to implement the function of an access node, the transceiver module 710 is used to receive paging messages. The access node is the access node corresponding to the second terminal determined based on the fifth information and the second information associated with N access nodes respectively. The second information includes the CAG information associated with the corresponding access node, and the fifth information indicates the cell that the second terminal is allowed to access. The processing module 720 is used to control the transceiver module 710 to paging the second terminal based on the paging message.

[0276] When the device 700 is used to implement the function of a mobility management network element or gateway, the transceiver module 710 is used to receive second information associated with N access nodes respectively, the second information including the CAG information associated with the access node; the processing module 720 is used to control the transceiver module 710 to send a paging message to the first access node among the N access nodes based on the N second information and the fifth information, the paging message is used to instruct the first access node to page the second terminal, and the fifth information indicates the cell that the second terminal is allowed to access.

[0277] It should be understood that the device 700 may correspond to the above method embodiments and may be used to perform the various steps and / or processes in the above method embodiments.

[0278] Optionally, in the above possible designs, the communication device may also include a storage module, which can store data / code, and the processing module 720 and / or the transceiver module 710 can interact with the storage module.

[0279] Optionally, the processing module 720 may be a processor or controller, such as a CPU, general-purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, FPGA, or other programmable logic device, transistor logic device, hardware component, or any combination thereof. It may implement or execute various exemplary logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in conjunction with the disclosure of this application. The processor may also be a combination that implements computing functions, such as including one or more microprocessor combinations, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, etc. The transceiver module 710 is a transceiver, interface circuit, bus, pin, or other possible communication interface for receiving signals from other devices. For example, when the device is implemented as a chip, the transceiver module 710 is an interface circuit for the chip to receive signals from other chips or devices, or an interface circuit for the chip to send signals to other chips or devices.

[0280] It is understood that the division of units in the above-described device is merely a logical functional division. Each function can correspond to a functional unit, or two or more functions can be integrated into one functional unit. In actual implementation, all or some units can be integrated into a single physical entity, or they can be distributed across different physical entities. Furthermore, the aforementioned functional units can be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of both. Whether a function is executed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0281] Figure 11 is another schematic block diagram of the device provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 11, the device 800 includes one or more processors 810. The processor 810 may be a general-purpose processor or a special-purpose processor, etc. For example, it may be a baseband processor or a central processing unit. The baseband processor may be used to process communication protocols and communication data, and the central processing unit may be used to control the device (e.g., a vehicle or a chip), execute software programs, and process data from the software programs.

[0282] Optionally, in one design, processor 810 may include a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions) that can be run on processor 810, causing device 800 to perform the methods executed by the access node or mobility management network element or gateway in the above method embodiments. In yet another possible design, device 800 includes circuitry (not shown in FIG11) for implementing the functions of the access node or mobility management network element or gateway in the above method embodiments.

[0283] For example, processor 810 can be used to execute a computer program in memory to implement the steps performed by the access node or mobility management network element or gateway in the method embodiment.

[0284] Optionally, the device 800 may include one or more memories 820 storing computer programs (sometimes referred to as code or instructions) that can be run on the processor 810, causing the device 800 to perform the methods performed by the access node or mobility management network element or gateway in the above embodiments.

[0285] Optionally, the processor 810 and / or memory 820 may also store data. The processor and memory may be configured separately or integrated together.

[0286] Optionally, the device 800 may also include a communication interface 830. The processor 810, sometimes referred to as a processing unit, controls the device (e.g., an access node or mobility management network element). The communication interface 830, sometimes referred to as a transceiver unit, transceiver, transceiver circuit, or transceiver, is used to implement the transceiver functions of the device; for example, the communication interface 830 can be used to receive first configuration information.

[0287] Optionally, the device 800 also includes a communication interface 830. The processor 810 and the communication interface 830 are coupled to each other. It is understood that the communication interface 830 can be a transceiver or an input / output interface.

[0288] When the device 800 is used to implement the above method embodiments, the processor 810 can be used to execute the functions of the processing unit 720, and the communication interface 830 can be used to execute the functions of the transceiver unit 710. Whether the communication interface 830 is used for sending or receiving depends on whether the device 800 is used to perform a sending or receiving action in the scheme it is executing.

[0289] When the aforementioned device 800 is a chip applied to a terminal, the chip implements the functions of the terminal in the above method embodiments. The terminal's chip receives signals from other modules (such as radio frequency modules or antennas) in the terminal, and these signals may be sent to the terminal by network devices; or, the terminal's chip sends signals to other modules (such as radio frequency modules or antennas) in the terminal, and these signals may be sent to network devices by the terminal.

[0290] When the aforementioned device 800 is a chip applied to a network device, the chip implements the functions of the network device in the above method embodiments. The chip of the network device receives signals from other modules in the network device, which may be signals sent by a terminal to the network device; or, the chip of the network device sends signals to other modules in the network device, which may be signals sent by the network device to a terminal.

[0291] It is understood that when the device 800 is an access node, a mobility management network element, or a gateway, the communication interface 830 can be a transceiver, specifically including a transmitter and a receiver, with the transmitter used to send signals and the receiver used to receive signals. When the device 800 is a chip applied to an access node, a mobility management network element, or a gateway, the communication interface 830 can be an input / output circuit, wherein the input circuit can be used for receiving and the output interface can be used for sending.

[0292] Optionally, the device 800 also includes a power supply circuit for supplying power to the device 800.

[0293] The above-described method embodiments can be applied to a processor, or implemented by a processor. A processor may be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. During implementation, each step of the above method embodiments can be completed through integrated logic circuits in the processor's hardware or through software instructions.

[0294] The processor in this embodiment has signal processing capabilities and can be a central processing unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), graphics processing units (GPUs), neural network processing units (NPUs), artificial intelligence processors, or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor, any conventional processor, or one or more integrated circuits used to control the execution of a program for controlling the method provided in any of the above embodiments. Some or all steps of the communication method in this embodiment can be implemented by a GPU or NPU, or by a GPU or NPU in conjunction with other processors.

[0295] The steps of the method disclosed in the embodiments of this application can be directly manifested as being executed by a hardware decoding processor, or executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software modules can reside in mature storage media in the art, such as random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, or registers. This storage medium is located in memory, and the processor reads information from the memory and, in conjunction with its hardware, completes the steps of the above method.

[0296] The memory in the embodiments of this application can be volatile memory or non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memory. The non-volatile memory can 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. The volatile memory can be random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example, but not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous linked dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM). It should be noted that the memory used in the systems and methods described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0297] This application also provides a chip system including at least one processor for supporting the implementation of the functions of the access node, mobility management network element, or gateway involved in any of the above method embodiments, such as sending, receiving, or processing the information involved in the above methods.

[0298] In one possible design, the chip system also includes a memory for storing computer program instructions and data, which may be located inside or outside the processor.

[0299] The chip system can consist of chips or include chips and other discrete components.

[0300] This application also provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions), which, when run, executes the method executed by the access node in the above method embodiments, or executes the method executed by the mobility management network element / gateway.

[0301] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions). When the computer program is run, the method executed by the access node in the above method embodiments is executed, or the method executed by the mobility management network element / gateway is executed.

[0302] This application also provides a communication system, which includes: the aforementioned access node and mobility management network element, or an access node, a gateway, and a mobility management network element.

[0303] The methods provided in the above embodiments can be implemented, in whole or in part, by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, they can be implemented, in whole or in part, in the form of a computer program product. This computer program product may include one or more computer instructions. When these computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are generated. The computer may be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer instructions may be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium may be any available medium accessible to a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available medium may be a magnetic medium (e.g., floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic disk), an optical medium (e.g., DVD), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., solid-state disk (SSD)).

[0304] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the units and algorithm steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0305] Those skilled in the art will understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0306] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, apparatuses, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0307] The unit described as a separate component may or may not be physically separate. The component shown as a unit may or may not be a physical unit; that is, it may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0308] In addition, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit.

[0309] If this function is implemented as a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, or part of it, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory, random access memory, magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0310] In the various embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified or in case of logical conflict, the terminology and / or descriptions of different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features of different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationship.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to access nodes, including: The first piece of information is determined, indicating that the access node is a micro base station; Send the first information to the mobility management network element.

2. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to mobility management network elements, including: Receive first information from the access node, wherein the first information indicates that the access node is a micro base station; Based on the first information, the access node is verified.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The first information is the non-public network NPN information associated with the access node, and the NPN information indicates that the access node is a micro base station.

4. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The first piece of information is the identifier of the access node, which indicates that the access node is a micro base station.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The identifier of the access node belongs to a sequence set, which includes at least one access node identifier, or at least one element of the access node identifier is a preset value.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The first information is carried in the NG establishment request message.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The first information is carried in a terminal association message, which includes at least one of the following: Initial user equipment message; Path switching request message; or, Switch request confirmation message.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, The access node is directly connected to the mobility management network element.

9. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send NPN information, which includes information about the Closed Access Group (CAG) associated with the access node, and the NPN information is used to verify the CAG information.

10. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The method further includes: Obtain NPN information, which includes information about the CAG associated with the access node; Verify the CAG information associated with the access node.

11. The method according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that, The NPN information also includes cell identifier and / or PLMN information, which is used to verify the CAG information associated with the access node.

12. The method according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that, The NPN information also includes: PLMN information, or cell identifier and PLMN information, and the NPN information is used to verify the PLMN information associated with the access node.

13. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 12, characterized in that, The NPN information also includes at least one of the following: cell identifier, PLMN information, or CAG information, and the NPN information is used to verify the access mode.

14. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The step of obtaining NPN information includes: receiving the NPN information; or, The first information includes the NPN information.

15. The method according to claim 1 or 9, characterized in that, The method further includes: The third information is sent to the mobility management network element. The third information includes information about the CAG associated with the first cell, where the first cell is the cell that the first terminal accesses through the access node.

16. The method according to claim 3 or 10, characterized in that, Also includes: Receive third information from the access node, the third information including CAG information associated with the first cell, the first cell being the cell accessed by the first terminal through the access node; Based on the NPN information associated with the access node, verify the CAG information associated with the first cell.

17. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to access nodes, including: Determine the second information, which includes information about the CAG associated with the access node; The second information is sent to the mobility management network element.

18. A communication method, characterized in that, The method, applied to a mobility management network element or gateway, wherein the gateway is deployed between an access node and the mobility management network element, includes: Receive second information, which includes information about the CAG associated with the access node; Verify the CAG information associated with the access node.

19. The method according to claim 17 or 18, characterized in that, The second information is carried in the NG establishment request message.

20. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that, The receiving of the second information includes: Receive the second information from the operation, management and maintenance network element.

21. The method according to any one of claims 17 to 20, characterized in that, The second information also includes cell identifier and / or PLMN information, which is used to verify the CAG information associated with the access node.

22. The method according to any one of claims 17 to 20, characterized in that, The second information also includes PLMN information, or cell identifier and PLMN information, which is used to verify the PLMN information associated with the access node.

23. The method according to any one of claims 17 to 20, characterized in that, The second information also includes at least one of the following: cell identifier, PLMN information, or CAG information, and the second information is used to verify the access mode.

24. The method according to any one of claims 17 to 23, characterized in that, The second information includes NPN information for each cell associated with the access node, and each NPN information includes: The information of the CAG associated with the cell; or, The information of the CAG associated with the cell, as well as the cell identifier and / or the information of the PLMN associated with the cell.

25. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that, Also includes: The third information is sent to the mobility management network element. The third information includes information about the CAG associated with the first cell, where the first cell is the cell that the first terminal accesses through the access node.

26. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that, Also includes: Receive third information from the access node, the third information including CAG information associated with the first cell, the first cell being the cell accessed by the first terminal through the access node; Based on the second information, verify the CAG information associated with the first cell.

27. The method according to claim 25 or 26, characterized in that, The third information is carried in a terminal association message, which includes at least one of the following: Initial user equipment message; Path switching request message; or, Switch request confirmation message.

28. The method according to claim 17 or 25, characterized in that, Also includes: A paging message is received, the paging message being used to instruct a second terminal to be paging, the access node being the access node corresponding to the second terminal determined based on the fifth information and the second information associated with N access nodes respectively, the fifth information indicating the cell that the second terminal is allowed to access.

29. The method according to claim 18 or 26, characterized in that, Also includes: Based on the fifth information and the second information associated with each of the N access nodes, a paging message is sent to the first access node among the N access nodes. The paging message is used to instruct the first access node to page the second terminal, and the fifth information indicates the cell that the second terminal is allowed to access.

30. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to access nodes, including: Receive paging message, wherein the access node is the access node corresponding to the second terminal determined based on the fifth information and the second information associated with N access nodes respectively, the second information includes the CAG information associated with the corresponding access node, and the fifth information indicates the cell that the second terminal is allowed to access; Based on the paging message, the second terminal is paged.

31. The method according to claim 30, characterized in that, Also includes: Send the second message.

32. A communication method, characterized in that, The method, applied to a mobility management network element or gateway, wherein the gateway is deployed between an access node and the mobility management network element, includes: Receive second information associated with N access nodes respectively, the second information including CAG information associated with the access nodes; Based on N pieces of the second information and the fifth information, a paging message is sent to the first access node among the N access nodes. The paging message is used to instruct the first access node to page the second terminal, and the fifth information indicates the cell that the second terminal is allowed to access.

33. The method according to any one of claims 30 to 32, characterized in that, The second information is carried in the NG establishment request message.

34. The method according to claim 32, characterized in that, The receipt of the second information associated with each of the N access nodes includes: Receive second information associated with the N access nodes respectively from the operation, management and maintenance network element.

35. A communication device, characterized in that, include: A module for performing the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 34.

36. A communication device, characterized in that, include: A processor for performing the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 34 by running a computer program or by using logic circuitry.

37. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, Used to store computer program instructions, which, when executed by a communication device, cause the communication device to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 34.

38. A computer program product, characterized in that, It includes computer program instructions that, when executed by a communication device, cause the communication device to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 34.

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