CN109788446B

CN109788446B - Short message sending method and device

Info

Publication number: CN109788446B
Application number: CN201711105361.2A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 朱方园; 李岩
Original assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Current assignee: XFusion Digital Technologies Co Ltd
Priority date: 2017-11-10
Filing date: 2017-11-10
Publication date: 2020-11-06
Anticipated expiration: 2037-11-10
Also published as: CN109788446A; WO2019091174A1

Abstract

The application provides a short message sending method and device. The method comprises the following steps: and simultaneously storing the association relation between the identification information of the plurality of short message service network elements and the access technology in the data management network element, and simultaneously storing the preference information of the terminal. When the data management network element needs to select the identification information of the short message service network element, the identification information of one short message service network element can be selected according to the preference information of the terminal, so that the identification information of one short message service network element can be selected from the identification information of a plurality of short message service network elements. Also, since the selection is made based on the preference information of the terminal, it is helpful to improve the communication quality.

Description

Short message sending method and device

Technical Field

The present application relates to the field of mobile communications technologies, and in particular, to a method and an apparatus for sending a short message.

Background

Short Message Service (SMS) is one type of telecommunication service. The short message is a non-real-time reliable data packet transmitted through a signaling channel in a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN). The short message service provides a point-to-point, non-real-time and reliable data transmission service in a store-and-forward mode.

Currently, a short message is sent in a manner that, when a short message center receives a short message sent by a terminal a, the short message center requests a Unified Data Management (UDM) network element to acquire identification information of a short message service function (SMS function, SMSF) network element, and then the short message center sends the short message to the SMSF network element. Further, the SMSF network element sends the short message to the terminal B to complete the sending of the short message.

In practical applications, the terminal may be registered in multiple PLMNs at the same time due to roaming of the terminal caused by movement of the terminal, and different SMSF network elements exist under different PLMNs to send short messages. Furthermore, the UDM network element may store the identification information of multiple SMSF network elements corresponding to the same terminal at the same time.

In the above situation, when the short message center needs to send a short message to the terminal, and the short message center requests the UDM network element to acquire the identification information of the SMSF network element, the UDM network element returns to the short message center which identification information of the SMSF network element is, and no corresponding solution is currently provided.

Disclosure of Invention

The application provides a short message sending method and a short message sending device, which are used for realizing selection of identification information of a short message service network element and improving communication quality.

In a first aspect, the present application provides a method for sending a short message, where the method is performed by a data management network element or a chip in the data management network element. The method comprises the following steps: the data management network element receives a request message from the short message center, wherein the request message is used for requesting the identification information of the short message service network element, and the short message service network element is used for sending the short message from the short message center to the terminal. Then, the data management network element selects identification information of a short message service network element from the identification information of at least two short message service network elements stored by the data management network element according to the preference information of the terminal, the preference information is used for indicating the access technology preferred by the terminal, and the access technology preferred by the terminal is associated with the identification information of the selected short message service network element. And finally, the data management network element sends the identification information of the selected short message service network element to the short message center.

The method stores the association relationship between the identification information of a plurality of short message service network elements and the access technology at the same time in the data management network element, and also stores the preference information of the terminal. When the data management network element needs to select the identification information of the short message service network element, the identification information of one short message service network element can be selected according to the preference information of the terminal, so that the identification information of one short message service network element can be selected from the identification information of a plurality of short message service network elements. Also, since the selection is made based on the preference information of the terminal, it is helpful to improve the communication quality.

In a possible implementation manner, the identification information of the at least two short message service network elements stored by the data management network element includes identification information of the first short message service network element and identification information of the second short message service network element. The data management network element receives information of a first access technology of a first public land mobile network, PLMN, from the first access and mobility management network element and receives identification information of the first short message service network element from the first short message service network element. The data management network element establishes an association between the identification information of the first short message service network element and the first access technology. And the data management network element receives preference information and information of a second access technology of a second PLMN from the second access and mobility management network element, and receives identification information of a second short message service network element from the second short message service network element, wherein the preference information is the first access technology or the second access technology corresponding to the short message service. And the data management network element establishes the association relationship between the identification information of the second short message service network element and the second access technology. The first access and mobility management network element and the first short message service network element are located on a first PLMN, and the second access and mobility management network element and the second short message service network element are located on a second PLMN.

By the method, the association between the identification information of the first short message service network element and the first access technology, the association between the identification information of the second short message service network element and the second access technology and the preference information of the terminal are stored in the data management network element.

In a possible implementation manner, before selecting the identification information of the short message service network element, the data management network element further needs to determine that the terminal is in an idle state in the first access technology, and determine that the terminal is in an idle state in the second access technology. Or, the data management network element determines that the terminal is in a connected state under the first access technology, and determines that the terminal is in a connected state under the second access technology.

By the method, the state of the terminal under the first access technology and the state of the terminal under the second access technology are judged. And if the state of the terminal in the first access technology is a connection state and the state of the terminal in the second access technology is an idle state, selecting the identification information of the first short message service network element corresponding to the first access technology. And if the state of the terminal in the first access technology is an idle state and the state of the terminal in the second access technology is a connection state, selecting the identification information of the second short message service network element corresponding to the second access technology. And if the terminal is in an idle state under the first access technology and the terminal is in an idle state under the second access technology, or the terminal is in a connected state under the first access technology and the terminal is in a connected state under the second access technology, the data management network element selects the identification information of the short message service network element according to the preference information according to the method. Thereby being beneficial to improving the efficiency of selecting the identification information of the short message service network element.

In a second aspect, the present application provides a method for sending a short message, where the method is executable by a data management network element or a chip in the data management network element. The method comprises the following steps: the data management network element obtains the association between the identification information of the first short message service network element and the first access technology. After the data management network element deletes the identification information of the first short message service network element, the data management network element informs the access and mobility management network element: and selecting a second short message service network element and triggering the second short message service network element to activate the short message service realized by the second access technology. The first short message service network element and the second short message service network element are respectively located in a first PLMN and a second PLMN, and the first access technology and the second access technology respectively correspond to the first PLMN and the second PLMN.

The method keeps storing the identification information of the short message service network element and the associated information of the access technology on the data management network element, so that the data management network element can directly determine the identification information of the short message service network element and send the identification information to the short message center without selection, and the communication efficiency is improved.

In one possible implementation, the data management network element receives a subscription of the access and mobility management network elements: and after the data management network element deletes the identification information of the first short message service network element, the data management network element informs the access and mobility management network element.

In a possible implementation, the data management network element obtains preference information, where the preference information is used to indicate a preference of the terminal or the second PLMN for the first access technology. The data management network element receives a registration request message from the access and mobility management network element, the registration request message including information of the second access technology. And the data management network element informs the access and mobility management network element not to trigger the activation of the short message service realized by the second access technology according to the preference information.

In a third aspect, the present application provides a method for sending a short message, where the method is performed by an access and mobility management network element or a chip in the access and mobility management network element. The method comprises the following steps: the access and mobility management network element obtains preference information, wherein the preference information is used for indicating a first access technology preferred by the terminal or the PLMN. And the access and mobility management network element receives a registration request message from the terminal, wherein the registration request message is used for requesting to trigger the activation of the short message service realized by the second access technology. And the access and mobility management network element determines not to trigger the activation of the short message service realized by the second access technology according to the preference information.

In the method, when the access and mobility management network element determines that the preference technology indicated by the preference information is not the second access technology according to the preference information, the activation of the short message service realized by the second access technology is not triggered temporarily. Therefore, only the identification information of the first short message service network element and the correlation information of the first access technology are stored on the data management network element. Therefore, the data management network element does not need to be selected, the identification information of the short message service network element can be directly determined and sent to the short message center, and the communication efficiency is improved.

In a possible implementation manner, the determining, by the access and mobility management network element according to the preference information, that activation of the short message service implemented by the second access technology is not to be triggered includes: and the access and mobility management network element determines that the access technology indicated by the preference information is different from the second access technology according to the preference information.

In one possible implementation manner, the obtaining, by the access and mobility management network element, the preference information includes: the access and mobility management network element receives the preference information from the terminal, or the preference information is configured at the access and mobility management network element.

In one possible implementation, the first access technology is associated with identification information of a first short message service network element, and the access and mobility management network element subscribes to the data management network element: and after the data management network element deletes the identification information of the first short message service network element, the data management network element informs the access and mobility management network element. And after receiving the notification from the data management network element, the access and mobility management network element selects a second short message service network element and triggers the second short message service network element to activate the short message service realized by a second access technology, wherein the second access technology is associated with the identification information of the second short message service network element.

In a possible implementation manner, after the access and mobility management network element determines not to trigger activation of the short message service implemented by the terminal through the second access technology, the access and mobility management network element sends first indication information to the terminal, where the first indication information is used to indicate that the short message service implemented by the second access technology is not activated.

In the method, when the access and mobility management network element determines not to trigger the activation of the short message service realized by the terminal through the second access technology, the first indication information is sent to the terminal, and the first indication information is used for indicating that the short message service realized through the second access technology is not activated. Therefore, the terminal does not send the short message through the second access technology subsequently, and the invalid sending of the short message is avoided.

In a possible implementation manner, after the access and mobility management network element learns that the short message service implemented by the second access technology is activated, the access and mobility management network element sends second indication information to the terminal, where the second indication information is used to indicate that the short message service implemented by the second access technology is activated.

In the method, when the access and mobility management network element determines to trigger the activation of the short message service implemented by the terminal through the second access technology, second indication information is sent to the terminal, and the second indication information is used for indicating that the short message service implemented by the second access technology is activated. Thus, the terminal can subsequently send the short message through the second access technology.

In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a method for sending a short message, where the method is executable by an access and mobility management network element or a chip in the access and mobility management network element. The method comprises the following steps: the access and mobility management network element receives a registration request message from the terminal through the access technology, wherein the registration request message is used for triggering the activation of the short message service realized through the access technology. The access and mobility management network element learns from the data management network element: the access and mobility management network elements do not trigger the activation of the short message service by the access technology. The access and mobility management network element sends first indication information to the terminal, wherein the first indication information is used for indicating that the short message service realized by the access technology is not activated.

In the method, when the access and mobility management network element determines not to trigger the activation of the short message service realized by the terminal through the access technology, the first indication information is sent to the terminal, and the first indication information is used for indicating that the short message service realized by the access technology is not activated. Therefore, the terminal does not send the short message through the access technology subsequently, and the invalid sending of the short message is avoided. The access technology may be a first access technology or a second access technology.

In a possible implementation, after receiving the notification from the data management network element, the access and mobility management network element selects the short message service network element and triggers the short message service network element to activate the short message service implemented by the access technology. After the access and mobility management network element learns that the short message service realized through the access technology is activated, the access and mobility management network element sends second indication information to the terminal, wherein the second indication information is used for indicating that the short message service realized through the access technology is activated.

In the method, when the access and mobility management network element determines to trigger the activation of the short message service realized by the terminal through the access technology, second indication information is sent to the terminal, and the second indication information is used for indicating that the short message service realized by the access technology is activated. Thus, the terminal can subsequently send the short message through the access technology. The access technology may be a first access technology or a second access technology.

In a fifth aspect, the present application provides a method for sending a short message, where the method is executable by a terminal or a chip in the terminal. The method comprises the following steps: the terminal sends a registration request message to the access and mobility management network element, wherein the registration request message is used for requesting to trigger the activation of the short message service realized by the access technology. The terminal receives first indication information from an access and mobility management network element, wherein the first indication information is used for indicating that a short message service realized by an access technology is not activated.

In the method, when the access and mobility management network element determines not to trigger the activation of the short message service realized by the terminal through the access technology, the first indication information is sent to the terminal, and the first indication information is used for indicating that the short message service realized by the access technology is not activated. Therefore, the terminal does not send the short message subsequently through the access technology, and invalid sending is avoided. The access technology may be a first access technology or a second access technology.

In a possible implementation manner, the terminal receives second indication information from the access and mobility management network element, wherein the second indication information is used for indicating that the short message service implemented by the access technology is activated.

In a sixth aspect, the present application provides a method for sending a short message, where the method is executable by a terminal or a chip in the terminal. The method comprises the following steps: the terminal sends a first registration request message through a first access technology of a first PLMN, wherein the first registration request message is used for triggering the activation of a short message service realized through the first access technology. The terminal judges whether to trigger the activation of the short message service realized by the second access technology according to the preference information, wherein the preference information is used for indicating the access technology preferred by the terminal. And the terminal sends a second registration request message through a second access technology of a second PLMN according to the judgment result.

In a possible implementation manner, the access technology preferred by the terminal is the second access technology, and the second registration request message includes indication information for indicating that the terminal supports the short message service implemented by the second access technology. The terminal initiates a flow for deactivating the short message service realized by the first access technology.

In one possible implementation, the access technology preferred by the terminal is the first access technology. The terminal sends a second registration request message through a second access technology of a second PLMN according to the judgment result, and the method comprises the following steps: and the terminal determines not to trigger the activation of the short message service realized by the second access technology and sends a second registration request message, wherein the second registration request message is used for indicating not to trigger the activation of the short message service realized by the second access technology.

In a seventh aspect, the present application provides an apparatus, which may be a data management network element, or a chip in the data management network element. The apparatus has the function of implementing the embodiments of the first aspect described above. The function can be realized by hardware, and can also be realized by executing corresponding software by hardware. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the functions described above.

In a possible implementation manner, when the apparatus is a data management network element, the data management network element includes: the device comprises a receiving unit, a sending unit and a processing unit. The processing unit may for example be a processor, the receiving unit may for example be a receiver, and the transmitting unit may for example be a transmitter. The receiver and transmitter include radio frequency circuitry. Optionally, the data management network element further comprises a storage unit, which may be, for example, a memory. When the data management network element comprises a storage unit, the storage unit stores computer-executable instructions, the processing unit is connected with the storage unit, and the processing unit executes the computer-executable instructions stored in the storage unit, so that the data management network element executes the short message sending method of any one of the first aspect.

In another possible implementation manner, when the apparatus is a chip in a data management network element, the chip includes: the device comprises a receiving unit, a sending unit and a processing unit. The processing unit may be, for example, a processing circuit, the receiving unit may be, for example, an input interface, pin, or circuit, etc., and the transmitting unit may be, for example, an output interface, pin, or circuit, etc. The processing unit may execute the computer-executable instructions stored in the storage unit to cause the short message sending method according to any one of the above first aspects to be performed. Alternatively, the storage unit may be a storage unit in a chip, such as a register, a cache, and the like, and the storage unit may also be a storage unit located outside the chip in the data management network element, such as a read-only memory (ROM), another type of static storage device that can store static information and instructions, a Random Access Memory (RAM), and the like.

The processor mentioned in any one of the above may be a general Central Processing Unit (CPU), a microprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits for controlling the execution of the program of the sms sending method according to the first aspect.

In an eighth aspect, the present application provides an apparatus, which may be a data management network element or a chip in the data management network element. The apparatus has the function of implementing the embodiments of the second aspect described above. The function can be realized by hardware, and can also be realized by executing corresponding software by hardware. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the functions described above.

In a possible implementation manner, when the apparatus is a data management network element, the data management network element includes: the device comprises a sending unit and a processing unit, and optionally, further comprises a receiving unit. The processing unit may for example be a processor, the receiving unit may for example be a receiver, and the transmitting unit may for example be a transmitter. The receiver and transmitter include radio frequency circuitry. Optionally, the data management network element further comprises a storage unit, which may be, for example, a memory. When the data management network element comprises a storage unit, the storage unit stores computer-executable instructions, the processing unit is connected with the storage unit, and the processing unit executes the computer-executable instructions stored in the storage unit, so that the data management network element executes the short message sending method of any one of the second aspect.

In another possible implementation manner, when the apparatus is a chip in a data management network element, the chip includes: the device comprises a sending unit and a processing unit, and optionally, further comprises a receiving unit. The processing unit may be, for example, a processing circuit, the receiving unit may be, for example, an input interface, pin, or circuit, etc., and the transmitting unit may be, for example, an output interface, pin, or circuit, etc. The processing unit can execute the computer-executable instructions stored in the storage unit to cause the short message sending method of any one of the second aspect to be executed. Alternatively, the storage unit is a storage unit in a chip, such as a register, a cache, and the like, and the storage unit may also be a storage unit located outside the chip in the data management network element, such as a ROM, another type of static storage device that can store static information and instructions, a RAM, and the like.

The processor mentioned in any of the above may be a general-purpose CPU, a microprocessor, a specific ASIC, or one or more integrated circuits for controlling the execution of the program of the short message sending method according to the second aspect.

In a ninth aspect, the present application provides an apparatus, which may be an access and mobility management network element, or a chip in the access and mobility management network element. The apparatus has a function of realizing the embodiments of the third aspect described above. The function can be realized by hardware, and can also be realized by executing corresponding software by hardware. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the functions described above.

In a possible implementation manner, when the apparatus is an access and mobility management network element, the access and mobility management network element includes: the device comprises a receiving unit and a processing unit, and optionally, further comprises a sending unit. The processing unit may for example be a processor, the receiving unit may for example be a receiver, and the transmitting unit may for example be a transmitter. The receiver and transmitter include radio frequency circuitry. Optionally, the access and mobility management network element further comprises a storage unit, which may be a memory, for example. When the access and mobility management network element comprises a storage unit, the storage unit stores computer-executable instructions, the processing unit is connected with the storage unit, and the processing unit executes the computer-executable instructions stored by the storage unit, so that the access and mobility management network element executes the short message sending method of any one of the third aspects.

In another possible implementation manner, when the apparatus is a chip in an access and mobility management network element, the chip includes: the device comprises a receiving unit and a processing unit, and optionally, further comprises a sending unit. The processing unit may be, for example, a processing circuit, the receiving unit may be, for example, an input interface, pin, or circuit, etc., and the transmitting unit may be, for example, an output interface, pin, or circuit, etc. The processing unit may execute the computer-executable instructions stored in the storage unit to cause the short message sending method of any one of the above third aspects to be performed. Alternatively, the storage unit is a storage unit in a chip, such as a register, a cache, and the like, and the storage unit may also be a storage unit located outside the chip in the access and mobility management network element, such as a ROM, another type of static storage device that can store static information and instructions, a RAM, and the like.

The processor mentioned in any one of the above may be a general-purpose CPU, a microprocessor, a specific ASIC, or one or more integrated circuits for controlling the execution of the program of the short message sending method according to the third aspect.

In a tenth aspect, the present application provides an apparatus, which may be an access and mobility management network element, or a chip in the access and mobility management network element. The apparatus has a function of realizing the embodiments of the fourth aspect described above. The function can be realized by hardware, and can also be realized by executing corresponding software by hardware. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the functions described above.

In a possible implementation manner, when the apparatus is an access and mobility management network element, the access and mobility management network element includes: the device comprises a receiving unit and a sending unit, and optionally, further comprises a processing unit. The processing unit may for example be a processor, the receiving unit may for example be a receiver, and the transmitting unit may for example be a transmitter. The receiver and transmitter include radio frequency circuitry. Optionally, the access and mobility management network element further comprises a storage unit, which may be a memory, for example. When the access and mobility management network element comprises a storage unit, the storage unit stores computer-executable instructions, the processing unit is connected with the storage unit, and the processing unit executes the computer-executable instructions stored in the storage unit, so that the access and mobility management network element executes the short message sending method of any one of the above fourth aspects.

In another possible implementation manner, when the apparatus is a chip in an access and mobility management network element, the chip includes: the device comprises a receiving unit and a sending unit, and optionally, further comprises a processing unit. The processing unit may be, for example, a processing circuit, the receiving unit may be, for example, an input interface, pin, or circuit, etc., and the transmitting unit may be, for example, an output interface, pin, or circuit, etc. The processing unit may execute the computer-executable instructions stored in the storage unit to cause the short message sending method of any one of the above fourth aspects to be performed. Alternatively, the storage unit is a storage unit in a chip, such as a register, a cache, and the like, and the storage unit may also be a storage unit located outside the chip in the access and mobility management network element, such as a ROM, another type of static storage device that can store static information and instructions, a RAM, and the like.

The processor mentioned in any of the above may be a general-purpose CPU, a microprocessor, a specific ASIC, or one or more integrated circuits for controlling the execution of the program of the short message sending method according to the fourth aspect.

In an eleventh aspect, the present application provides an apparatus, which may be a terminal or a chip within the terminal. The apparatus has the function of implementing the embodiments of the fifth aspect described above. The function can be realized by hardware, and can also be realized by executing corresponding software by hardware. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the functions described above.

In one possible implementation, when the apparatus is a terminal, the terminal includes: the device comprises a receiving unit and a sending unit, and optionally, further comprises a processing unit. The processing unit may for example be a processor, the receiving unit may for example be a receiver, and the transmitting unit may for example be a transmitter. The receiver and transmitter include radio frequency circuitry. Optionally, the terminal further comprises a storage unit, which may be, for example, a memory. When the terminal comprises a storage unit, the storage unit stores computer-executable instructions, the processing unit is connected with the storage unit, and the processing unit executes the computer-executable instructions stored in the storage unit, so that the terminal executes the short message sending method of any one of the fifth aspects.

In another possible implementation, when the apparatus is a chip in a terminal, the chip includes: the device comprises a receiving unit and a sending unit, and optionally, further comprises a processing unit. The processing unit may be, for example, a processing circuit, the receiving unit may be, for example, an input interface, pin, or circuit, etc., and the transmitting unit may be, for example, an output interface, pin, or circuit, etc. The processing unit can execute the computer-executable instructions stored in the storage unit to cause the short message sending method of any one of the fifth aspects to be executed. Alternatively, the storage unit is a storage unit in a chip, such as a register, a cache, and the like, and the storage unit may also be a storage unit in the terminal, which is located outside the chip, such as a ROM, another type of static storage device that can store static information and instructions, a RAM, and the like.

The processor mentioned in any of the above may be a general-purpose CPU, a microprocessor, a specific ASIC, or one or more integrated circuits for controlling the execution of the program of the short message sending method according to the fifth aspect.

In a twelfth aspect, the present application provides an apparatus, which may be a terminal or a chip in the terminal. The apparatus has a function of realizing the embodiments of the above-described sixth aspect. The function can be realized by hardware, and can also be realized by executing corresponding software by hardware. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the functions described above.

In one possible implementation, when the apparatus is a terminal, the terminal includes: the device comprises a processing unit and a sending unit, and optionally, further comprises a receiving unit. The processing unit may for example be a processor, the receiving unit may for example be a receiver, and the transmitting unit may for example be a transmitter. The receiver and transmitter include radio frequency circuitry. Optionally, the terminal further comprises a storage unit, which may be, for example, a memory. When the terminal includes a storage unit, the storage unit stores a computer-executable instruction, the processing unit is connected to the storage unit, and the processing unit executes the computer-executable instruction stored in the storage unit, so that the terminal executes the short message sending method according to any one of the above sixth aspects.

In another possible implementation, when the apparatus is a chip in a terminal, the chip includes: the device comprises a processing unit and a sending unit, and optionally, further comprises a receiving unit. The processing unit may be, for example, a processing circuit, the receiving unit may be, for example, an input interface, pin, or circuit, etc., and the transmitting unit may be, for example, an output interface, pin, or circuit, etc. The processing unit may execute the computer-executable instructions stored in the storage unit to cause the short message sending method according to any one of the above-mentioned sixth aspects to be executed. Alternatively, the storage unit is a storage unit in a chip, such as a register, a cache, and the like, and the storage unit may also be a storage unit in the terminal, which is located outside the chip, such as a ROM, another type of static storage device that can store static information and instructions, a RAM, and the like.

The processor mentioned in any one of the above may be a general-purpose CPU, a microprocessor, a specific ASIC, or one or more integrated circuits for controlling the execution of the program of the short message sending method according to the sixth aspect.

In a thirteenth aspect, the present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium having stored therein instructions, which, when run on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method of the above-described aspects.

In a fourteenth aspect, the present application also provides a computer program product comprising instructions which, when run on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method of the above aspects.

In addition, for technical effects brought by any one implementation manner of the seventh aspect to the fourteenth aspect, reference may be made to technical effects brought by different implementation manners of the first aspect to the sixth aspect, and details are not described here.

These and other aspects of the present application will be more readily apparent from the following description of the embodiments.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a possible network architecture suitable for use in the present application;

fig. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a short message registration process applicable to the present application;

fig. 3 is a schematic diagram corresponding to a first solution provided by the present application;

fig. 4 is a schematic diagram corresponding to a second solution provided by the present application;

fig. 5 is a flowchart of a method for sending a short message according to the application;

fig. 6 is a flowchart of a method for sending a short message according to the application;

fig. 7 is a flowchart of a method for sending a short message according to the application;

fig. 8 is a flowchart of a method for sending a short message according to the application;

FIG. 9 is a schematic view of an apparatus provided herein;

FIG. 10 is a schematic view of another apparatus provided herein;

FIG. 11 is a schematic view of another apparatus provided herein;

fig. 12 is a schematic view of another apparatus provided herein.

Detailed Description

In order to make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the present application more clear, the present application will be further described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The particular methods of operation in the method embodiments may also be applied to apparatus embodiments or system embodiments. In the description of the present application, the term "plurality" means two or more unless otherwise specified.

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a possible network architecture to which the present application is applicable. The network architecture is a dual registration scenario for short message service SMS.

When a terminal has accessed a PLMN (referred to as a first PLMN) through a 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3 GPP) Access technology (referred to as a first Access technology) and successfully registers with an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) network element (referred to as a first AMF) located in the first PLMN, the UDM network element of the home domain PLMN stores identification information of the first AMF of the first PLMN and stores the first Access technology corresponding to the first AMF.

If the terminal simultaneously discovers a non-3 GPP access technology (referred to as a second access technology) in another PLMN (referred to as a second PLMN) and accesses the second PLMN through the second access technology, the terminal initiates a registration request to an AMF network element (referred to as a second AMF) located in the second PLMN. Furthermore, the UDM of the home domain PLMN may store the identification information of the second AMF of the second PLMN and store the second access technology corresponding to the second AMF.

At this time, the terminal is simultaneously registered to the first AMF and the second AMF, that is, different AMFs of two different PLMNs exist simultaneously to provide services for the terminal, and the UDM also simultaneously maintains identification information of different AMF network elements of the two different PLMNs. This scenario is referred to as dual registration.

According to the above description, when the PLMNs are different and the access types are different, that is, when the UDM network element determines that the terminal accesses the network through different access technologies respectively by different operators, the UDM network element allows dual registration. In the dual registration scenario, the terminal may implement the short message service in 3GPP access, or in non-3 GPP access.

According to the architecture shown in fig. 1, when the terminal is simultaneously attached to different AMF network elements of two different PLMNs through 3GPP access and non-3 GPP access, different AMF network elements of different PLMNs need to select a local SMSF network element in the PLMN where the different AMF network elements of different PLMNs are located, because the SMSF network elements cannot cross operators. Referring to fig. 1, the SMSF network element selected by the first AMF in the first PLMN is referred to as a first SMSF, and the SMSF network element selected by the second AMF in the second PLMN is referred to as a second SMSF.

The SMSF network element is mainly used for routing and forwarding of short messages. Specifically, in the downlink direction, the SMSF network element receives a short message from the short message center and routes and forwards the short message to the corresponding terminal. In the uplink direction, the SMSF network element receives the short message from the terminal and then routes the short message to the short message center.

As shown in fig. 1, for example, the second PLMN is a home PLMN of the terminal, and the UDM network element is located in the second PLMN. In the UDM network element, the association relationship between the identification information of the first AMF, the identification information of the first SMSF and the first access technology is stored, and the association relationship between the identification information of the second AMF, the identification information of the second SMSF and the second access technology is also stored.

Based on the above scenario, in the downlink direction, when the short message center needs to send a short message to the terminal, the short message center requests the UDM network element to obtain identification information of the SMSF network element, for example, the identification information of the SMSF network element may be address information or an identifier. However, since the UDM network element stores the identification information of more than one SMSF network element, at this time, the UDM network element returns the identification information of which SMSF network element to the short message center, and thus a clear definition needs to be given.

To solve the above problems, the present application will provide various solutions, which will be described separately later.

Before the inventive arrangements of the present application are introduced, the system architecture shown in fig. 1 will be described in further detail.

The terminal in the application is a device with a wireless transceiving function, can be deployed on land, and comprises an indoor or outdoor terminal, a handheld terminal or a vehicle-mounted terminal; can also be deployed on the water surface (such as a ship and the like); and may also be deployed in the air (e.g., airplanes, balloons, satellites, etc.). The terminal may be a mobile phone (mobile phone), a tablet computer (pad), a computer with a wireless transceiving function, a Virtual Reality (VR) terminal, an Augmented Reality (AR) terminal, a wireless terminal in industrial control (industrial control), a wireless terminal in self driving (self driving), a wireless terminal in remote medical (remote medical), a wireless terminal in smart grid (smart grid), a wireless terminal in transportation safety (transportation safety), a wireless terminal in smart city (smart city), a wireless terminal in smart home (smart home), and the like.

The AMF network element has a mobility management function and is responsible for mobility management of users, including mobility state management, user temporary identity distribution, user authentication and authorization and the like.

And the UDM network element has a user data management function and is responsible for storing the subscription data of the user, including subscription data related to mobile management and subscription data related to session management. And receiving a short message registration request message of the SMSF network element, and returning the identification information of the registered SMSF network element to the short message center.

The short message center in the application can realize the functions of receiving, storing, forwarding, reporting the status of the short message and the like, and also comprises an operation maintenance module and a gateway module for transmitting the message with the network and selecting a sending route.

It should be noted that, in the above description, the 3GPP access technology is referred to as a first access technology, and the non-3 GPP access technology is referred to as a second access technology. Of course, the 3GPP access technology may also be referred to as the second access technology, and the non-3 GPP access technology may also be referred to as the first access technology.

In the above description, the second PLMN is taken as the home PLMN, and the UDM is located in the second PLMN as an example, but of course, the first PLMN may be taken as the home PLMN, and the UDM may be located in the first PLMN.

In practical applications, the terminal may be registered to the first PLMN through the 3GPP access technology, and then registered to the second PLMN through the non-3 GPP access technology. Or the first PLMN is registered to the second PLMN through the non-3 GPP access technology, and then is registered to the first PLMN through the 3GPP access technology.

In the present application, the related network elements mainly include a data management network element, a short message service network element, and an access and mobility management network element. The data management network element is mainly responsible for a management function of data, for example, the data management network element may be a UDM network element. The short message service network element is mainly responsible for the transmission function of the short message, for example, the short message service network element may be an SMSF network element or the like. The access and mobility management network element is mainly responsible for mobility management of the user, for example, the access and mobility management network element is an AMF network element.

For convenience of description, the present application describes the scheme of the present application by taking the data management network element as the UDM network element, the short message service network element as the SMSF network element, and the access and mobility management network element as the AMF network element as an example. Further, for convenience of description, the UDM network element, the SMSF network element, and the AMF network element are respectively abbreviated as UDM, SMSF, and AMF in the following.

Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a short message registration process applicable to the present application. In the system architecture shown in fig. 1, the short message registration process of the terminal in the first PLMN and the short message registration process of the terminal in the second PLMN may both be registered according to the following method steps. The registration process comprises the following steps:

step 1, the terminal sends a registration request message to the AMF.

The registration request message carries indication information, and the indication information is used for indicating that the terminal has short message capability.

The indication information may also be used to indicate an access technology for which the terminal supports short message transmission. For example, the indication information indicates that the terminal supports the 3GPP access technology, or the indication information indicates that the terminal supports the non-3 GPP access technology, or the indication information indicates that the terminal supports the 3GPP access technology and the non-3 GPP access technology.

Step 2, AMF initiates an Update Location (Update Location) flow to UDM.

If the registration request message sent by the terminal contains the indication information, the AMF performs a subscription check to the UDM in the process to confirm whether the terminal allows the short message service. If the subscription permits, the AMF selects an SMSF for the terminal.

The mechanism for selecting the SMSF by the AMF can be any one of the following modes:

in the mode 1, the identification information of the SMSF is configured on the AMF in advance.

In mode 2, the AMF obtains the identification information of the SMSF from the UDM in the Update Location flow.

In mode 3, the AMF requests a Network discovery Function (NRF) Network element to discover identification information of the SMSF.

And 3, the AMF sends a registration acceptance message to the terminal.

After the AMF selects the SMSF network element for the terminal, the AMF sends a registration acceptance message to the terminal, where the registration acceptance message may include indication information, where the indication information is used to indicate whether the network allows the terminal to use the short message service under the 3GPP access technology, or is used to indicate whether the network allows the terminal to use the short message service under the non-3 GPP access technology, or is used to indicate whether the network allows the terminal to use the short message service under the 3GPP access technology and the non-3 GPP access technology.

Step 4, AMF sends activation request message to SMSF.

The activation request message carries the identification information of the AMF and the identification information of the terminal so as to trigger the SMSF to activate the short message service of the terminal. For example, the identification information of the AMF may be identification or address information.

And step 5a, the SMSF acquires the subscription data related to the short message of the terminal from the UDM.

The subscription data related to the short message of the terminal obtained by the SMSF includes the subscription data related to the short message, such as a charging rule, whether roaming is allowed, a supported access technology, and the like.

The SMSF establishes the context of the terminal according to the acquired signing data related to the short message of the terminal, wherein the context comprises the signing data, the identification information of the AMF and the identification information of the terminal.

Step 5b, the SMSF registers with the UMD.

For example, the SMSF transmits the identification information of the SMSF, the address information of the AMF, the identification information of the terminal, and the corresponding access technology to the UMD to implement registration, so that the UDM stores the identification information of the SMSF, the address information of the AMF, the identification information of the terminal, the corresponding access technology, and the like.

And 6, the SMSF sends an activation response message to the AMF.

The activation response message is used to indicate whether the short message service was successfully activated. If successful, the AMF stores the identification information of the SMSF in the context of the terminal.

In another implementation, the step 3 may be performed after the step 6.

The above-mentioned process shown in fig. 2 is a process of registering and activating the short message service by the terminal in the present application.

Various solutions proposed by the present application to solve the problems in the background art are specifically described below.

Solution one

Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram corresponding to the first solution provided in the present application. The terminal firstly sends a registration request message to a first AMF to request for registering to the first AMF of a first PLMN, the first AMF sends information of a first access technology to a UDM, and then the first AMF selects a first SMSF and indicates the first SMSF to activate a short message service realized through the first access technology. And in the process that the first SMSF activates the short message service realized by the first access technology, the first SMSF sends the identification information of the first SMSF to the UDM. Therefore, the UDM acquires the identification information of the first SMSF and the information of the first access technology, and further establishes the association between the identification information of the first SMSF and the first access technology.

Further, the terminal may continue to initiate the registration request subsequently. For example, the terminal may request registration with a second AMF of a second PLMN when the terminal is roaming. And then the second AMF sends information of a second access technology to the UDM, and the second AMF selects a second SMSF and indicates the second SMSF to activate the short message service realized by the second access technology. And in the process that the second SMSF activates the short message service realized by the second access technology, the second SMSF sends the identification information of the second SMSF to the UDM. Therefore, the UDM acquires the identification information of the second SMSF and the information of the second access technology, and further establishes the association between the identification information of the second SMSF and the second access technology.

The first access technology is a 3GPP access technology, and the second access technology is a non-3 GPP access technology, or the first access technology is a non-3 GPP access technology, and the second access technology is a 3GPP access technology.

Thus, when the dual registration is successful, the context of the terminal stored on the UDM includes an association of the identification information of the first SMSF with the first access technology and an association of the identification information of the second SMSF with the second access technology.

Further, the UDM also stores preference information of the terminal in the context of the terminal, the preference information being used to indicate the access technology preferred by the terminal. For example, the preference information indicates that the terminal prefers the first access technology or indicates that the terminal prefers the second access technology.

The preference information of the terminal stored in the UDM may be directly stored in the UDM when the terminal signs up for network access. Alternatively, the terminal may be sent to the second AMF by the terminal and sent to the UDM by the second AMF when the terminal registers to the second PLMN. For example, referring to fig. 3, when initiating the registration request, the terminal sends the preference information of the terminal to the second AMF in a registration request message, and then the terminal is sent to the UDM by the second AMF.

As shown in table 1, the context of the terminal is stored by the UDM shown in table form.

Table 1 UDM stored context of terminal

Of course, the context of the terminal stored by the UDM also includes other information, and the application is not particularly limited. For example, in the context of the terminal, the association between the first PLMN, the identification information of the first AMF and the first SMSF, and the first access technology may be stored, and the association between the second PLMN, the identification information of the second AMF and the second SMSF, and the second access technology may be stored.

Based on the above information stored in the UDM, the present application provides a short message sending method, as shown in fig. 5, including the following steps:

step 501, the short message center sends a request message to the UDM, and the UDM receives the request message from the short message center.

When the short message center has downlink data, that is, a short message needs to be sent to the terminal, the short message center sends a request message to the UDM, wherein the request message is used for requesting the identification information of the SMSF.

Step 502, the UDM selects the identification information of one SMSF from the identification information of at least two SMSFs stored in the UDM according to the preference information of the terminal.

For example, the UDM stores therein identification information of two SMSFs, which are respectively identification information of a first SMSF and identification information of a second SMSF, as shown in table 1. And the identification information of the first SMSF corresponds to the first access technology, and the identification information of the second SMSF corresponds to the second access technology. Further, the UDM also stores preference information of the terminal.

If the preference information indicates that the preferred access technology of the terminal is the first access technology, the UDM selects the identification information of the first SMSF in step 502. If the preference information indicates that the access technology preferred by the terminal is the second access technology, the UDM selects the identification information of the second SMSF in this step 502. I.e. the access technology preferred by the terminal indicated by the preference information is associated with the identification information of the selected SMSF.

Step 503, the UDM sends the identification information of the selected SMSF to the short message center, and the short message center receives the identification information of the selected SMSF from the UDM.

Thus, the short message center may send the short message to the selected SMSF. And after receiving the short message, the selected SMSF sends the short message to the terminal.

Through the steps 501 to 503, on one hand, one of the identification information of the multiple SMSFs is selected and sent to the short message center, and on the other hand, the SMSF is selected based on the access technology preferred by the terminal, which is beneficial to improving the communication quality.

As another implementation method, the state of the terminal may also be introduced in the above steps 501 to 503, as another reference for selecting the SMSF.

For example, as an alternative implementation, the above step 502 may be replaced by the following steps 502A-502C.

In step 502A, the UDM queries the first AMF for the state of the terminal in the first access technology and queries the second AMF for the state of the terminal in the second access technology.

Step 502B, if the UDM determines that the terminal is in an idle state in the first access technology and the terminal is in a connected state in the second access technology, then the UDM selects the identification information of the second SMSF. And if the UDM determines that the terminal is in a connected state under the first access technology and the terminal is in an idle state under the second access technology, selecting the identification information of the first SMSF.

The flow ends.

In step 502C, if the UDM determines that the terminal is in an idle state in both the first access technology and the second access technology, or determines that the terminal is in a connected state in both the first access technology and the second access technology, the UDM selects the identification information of one SMSF from the identification information of at least two SMSFs stored in the UDM according to the preference information of the terminal.

The specific implementation manner of the UDM selecting the identification information of one SMSF from the identification information of at least two SMSFs stored in the UDM according to the preference information of the terminal may refer to the related description in step 502, which is not described herein again.

The flow ends.

To sum up, if the step 502 is replaced by the steps 502A to 502C, the UDM first selects the identification information of the SMSF according to the states of the terminal in the first access technology and the second access technology, respectively, and if the SMSF cannot be selected according to the state of the terminal, further selects the identification information of the SMSF according to the preference information of the terminal.

In summary, a first solution of the present application is to store, in the UDM, an association between identification information of each SMSF and an access technology, and also store preference information of a terminal. Therefore, when the UDM needs to select the SMSF, one SMSF can be selected according to the preference information of the terminal, so that one SMSF is selected from the identification information of a plurality of SMSFs, and the selection is carried out based on the preference information of the terminal, thereby being beneficial to improving the communication quality.

Solution 2

Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram corresponding to the second solution provided in the present application. The terminal firstly sends a registration request message to a first AMF to request for registering to the first AMF of a first PLMN, the first AMF sends information of a first access technology to a UDM, and then the first AMF selects a first SMSF and indicates the first SMSF to activate a short message service realized through the first access technology. And in the process that the first SMSF activates the short message service realized by the first access technology, the first SMSF sends the identification information of the first SMSF to the UDM. Therefore, the UDM acquires the identification information of the first SMSF and the information of the first access technology, and then the UDM establishes the association between the identification information of the first SMSF and the first access technology.

Further, when the terminal subsequently initiates a registration request to request registration to the second AMF of the second PLMN, the network side allows the terminal to register to the second AMF of the second PLMN. However, the network side allows the terminal to activate the short message service implemented by the second access technology only when the preference information of the terminal is determined to indicate the second access technology or the preference information of the second PLMN is determined to indicate the second access technology.

If the preference information of the terminal indicates the first access technology or the preference information of the first PLMN indicates the first access technology, the network side does not allow the terminal to activate the short message service realized by the second access technology. Further, the network side allows the terminal to activate the short message service implemented through the second access technology only when the terminal de-registers in the first PLMN or deactivates the short message service implemented through the first access technology in the first PLMN.

Of course, it may also be the terminal itself deciding whether to activate the short message service implemented by the second access technology.

To sum up, in this second solution, on the premise that the terminal is already registered to the first PLMN and the short message service implemented by the first access technology is activated, if the terminal also wants to be registered to the second PLMN and wants to activate the short message service implemented by the second access technology, the terminal is allowed to register to the second PLMN, but if the terminal is not allowed to activate the short message service implemented by the second access technology, the terminal is dependent on the preference information of the terminal or on the preference information of the second PLMN.

For example, if the preference information of the terminal or the second PLMN indicates that the second access technology is preferred, the terminal is allowed to activate the short message service implemented through the second access technology.

For another example, if the preference information of the terminal or the second PLMN indicates that the first access technology is preferred, the terminal is not allowed to activate the short message service implemented through the second access technology. Further, if the terminal is registered in the first PLMN or the short message service implemented by the first access technology is deactivated in the first PLMN, the terminal is allowed to activate the short message service implemented by the second access technology.

Thus, in this second solution, there may be only one association of the identification information of the SMSF with the previous access technology stored in the UDM. As shown in table 2, one possible result of the context of the terminal stored by the UDM is shown in tabular form.

Table 2 UDM stored context of terminal

As shown in table 3, another possible result of the context of the terminal stored by the UDM is shown in tabular form.

Table 3 UDM stored context of terminal

Of course, it is also possible that the UDM stores the association between the identification information of two SMSFs and the previous access technology in the context of the terminal, as shown in table 1.

In this second solution, if the context of the terminal stored by the UDM is as shown in table 2 or table 3, when the UDM receives the request message from the short message center, the UDM directly obtains the currently stored identification information of the SMSF and sends the information to the short message center, without selection, thereby improving the communication efficiency.

Of course, if in this second solution, if the UDM stores the terminal context as shown in table 1, the UDM may refer to step 502 in the aforementioned first solution or to the solution from step 502A to step 502C to select an SMSF when receiving the request message of the short message center.

In this second solution, there are several specific implementations that can be implemented according to the location where the preference information is stored. The following are described separately.

First, the terminal registers to a first AMF of a first PLMN through the registration method shown in fig. 2, activates a short message service implemented through a first access technology, and the first AMF selects a first SMSF.

At this time, the UDM terminal stores the context of the terminal as shown in table 2 above.

Then, when the terminal wants to register to a second AMF of a second PLMN and wants to activate the short message service implemented through the second access technology, the terminal may be allowed to register to the second PLMN, and as to whether the terminal is allowed to activate the short message service implemented through the second access technology, there are various implementation methods according to different locations where the preference information is stored. Described separately below.

Wherein the preference information is preference information of the terminal or preference information of the second PLMN.

For example, if the preference information is preference information of the terminal, the preference information is used to indicate an access technology preferred by the terminal, and may be a first access technology or a second access technology.

For another example, if the preference information is preference information of the second PLMN, the preference information is used to indicate a preferred access technology of the second PLMN, and may be the first access technology or the second access technology.

Situation one, the terminal stores preference information

In this case, since the terminal stores the preference information, the terminal may decide whether to activate the short message service implemented by the second access, or the terminal sends the preference information to the second AMF, and the second AMF decides whether to activate the short message service implemented by the second access. The following are described separately.

Implementation method one, terminal decision whether to activate short message service implemented by second access

In the first implementation method, the terminal stores the preference information, and the terminal decides whether to activate the short message service implemented by the second access. As shown in fig. 6, to implement the method-corresponding short message sending method, the method specifically includes the following steps:

step 601, the terminal judges whether to trigger the activation of the short message service realized by the second access technology according to the preference information.

If the preference information indicates that the preferred access technology is the first access technology, the terminal determines to register only to the second AMF of the second PLMN, but does not trigger the activation of the short message service implemented by the second access technology, i.e. step 602 and 609 are performed.

If the preference information indicates that the preferred access technology is the second access technology, the terminal determines not only to register to the second AMF of the second PLMN, but also to trigger the activation of the short message service implemented by the second access technology, i.e. performing step 610 and 611.

Step 602, the terminal sends a registration request message to the second AMF through the second access technology of the second PLMN.

The registration request message is used to indicate that activation of the short message service implemented by the second access technology is not triggered.

In an implementation manner, the registration request message may carry indication information, where the indication information is used to indicate that activation of the short message service implemented by the second access technology is not triggered. When the second AMF acquires the indication information, it may be determined not to trigger activation of the short message service implemented through the second access technology.

In another implementation manner, the registration request message may not carry indication information for indicating that the terminal supports the short message service. And when the second AMF receives the registration request message, the activation of the short message service realized by the second access technology is determined not to be triggered because the indication information is not obtained.

In this step 602, the terminal may still register with the second AMF of the second PLMN, but does not activate the short message service implemented through the second access technology.

It should be noted that, when the terminal registers to the first AMF of the first PLMN, the registration request message sent to the first AMF is referred to as a first registration request message, and the registration request message in step 602 may be referred to as a second registration request message.

Step 603, the second AMF sends first indication information to the terminal, where the first indication information is used to indicate that the short message service implemented by the second access technology is not activated.

That is, after the second AMF determines that activation of the short message service implemented by the terminal through the second access technology is not triggered, the second AMF sends first indication information to the terminal, where the first indication information is used to indicate that the short message service implemented by the second access technology is not activated. As an implementation manner, the first indication information may be carried in a registration accept message sent by the second AMF to the terminal.

The above implementation may be referred to as a display indication manner, that is, the second AMF explicitly notifies the terminal: the short message service implemented by the second access technology is not activated.

As another implementation, the second AMF may also notify the terminal by an implicit indication: the short message service implemented by the second access technology is not activated. For example, as an alternative to step 603, the second AMF may send a registration accept message to the terminal, where the registration accept message does not carry indication information for indicating that the short message service implemented by the second access technology is activated, and when the terminal receives the registration accept message, it may determine that the short message service implemented by the second access technology is not activated.

Step 604, the second AMF subscribes to UDM: and when the UDM deletes the identification information of the first SMSF, the UDM informs the second AMF.

When the second AMF obtains the subscription data from the UDM, if the subscription data of the terminal allows the terminal to use the short message service, but the terminal does not activate the short message service implemented by the second access technology in step 602, the second AMF needs to subscribe to the UDM: and when the UDM deletes the identification information of the first SMSF, the UDM informs the second AMF.

For example, when the terminal de-registers from the first PLMN, the UDM may delete all the information stored in table 2, for example, delete the identification information of the first SMSF, the first access technology, etc.

For another example, when the terminal deactivates the short message service implemented by the first access technology on the first PLMN, the UDM deletes the identification information of the first SMSF stored in the above table 2, but may retain other information.

In any way, the UDM notifies the second AMF as long as the UDM deletes the identification information of the first SMSF.

Step 605, the UDM obtains the association between the identification information of the first SMSF and the first access technology, and when the UDM deletes the identification information of the first SMSF, notifies the second AMF: selecting a second SMSF and triggering the second SMSF to activate the short message service realized by the second access technology.

This step 605 is an optional step and is only performed if the UDM needs to delete the identification information of the first SMSF. Specifically, the terminal may deregister from the first PLMN, or the UDM deletes the identification information of the first SMSF when the terminal deactivates the short message service of the first PLMN, which is implemented by using the first access technology.

And after deleting the identification information of the first SMSF, the UDM informs the second AMF to select the second SMSF according to the subscription before the second AMF, and triggers the second SMSF to activate the short message service realized by the second access technology.

It should be noted that the manner of notifying the second AMF by the UDM may be a method of notifying a message or a manner of calling a service, and the present application is not limited thereto.

In step 606, the second AMF selects the second SMSF and triggers the second SMSF to activate the short message service implemented through the second access technology.

Step 607, the second SMSF queries the subscription data of the terminal from the UDM, determines whether to allow activation of the short message service implemented by the second access technology, and registers the second SMSF with the UMD if the subscription is allowed.

The specific implementation process of step 607 may refer to the related description of step 5a and step 5b in the short message registration procedure shown in fig. 2, and is not described herein again.

The second SMSF sends an activate response message to the second AMF, step 608.

The activation response message is used to notify the second AMF to: the short message service realized by the terminal through the second access technology is activated.

Step 609, the second AMF sends second indication information to the terminal, where the second indication information is used to indicate that the short message service implemented by the second access technology is activated.

That is, after the second AMF learns that the short message service implemented by the second access technology is activated, the second AMF sends second indication information to the terminal, where the second indication information is used to indicate that the short message service implemented by the second access technology is activated.

The flow ends.

Step 610, the terminal initiates a process of deactivating the short message service realized by the first access technology.

In this step 610, the terminal initiates a process of deactivating the short message service implemented by the first access technology, so as to implement the short message service deactivation implemented by the terminal by the first access technology. Step 611 is then performed.

In step 611, the terminal sends a registration request message to the second AMF via the second access technology of the second PLMN.

The registration request message of step 611 includes indication information for indicating that the terminal supports the short message service implemented by the second access technology.

The subsequent registration process of step 611 may refer to the registration process shown in fig. 2, which is not described herein again.

It should be noted that, after the network side completes activation of the short message service implemented by the terminal through the second access technology, the second AMF further sends second indication information to the terminal, where the second indication information is used to indicate that the short message service implemented by the second access technology is activated.

After the subsequent activation procedures of step 610-step 611 and step 611 are completed, the context of the terminal stored in the UDM is as shown in table 3 above.

To sum up, in the first implementation method, on the premise that the terminal is registered to the first AMF of the first PLMN and activates the short message service implemented by the first access technology, if the terminal wants to register the second AMF of the second PLMN and wants to activate the short message service implemented by the second access technology, the terminal determines whether to trigger activation of the short message service implemented by the second access technology according to the stored preference information.

On one hand, if the terminal determines that the preference information indicates that the first access technology is preferred, and determines that activation of the short message service implemented through the second access technology is not triggered, steps 602 to 604 are performed, and the terminal completes registration to the second AMF of the second PLMN but does not activate the short message service implemented through the second access technology. And, the second AMF notifies the terminal of the inactivity of the short message service implemented through the second access technology in step 603, subscribes to the UDM in step 604: and when the UDM deletes the identification information of the first SMSF, the UDM informs the second AMF. It should be noted that the order of step 603 and step 604 may be interchanged, that is, step 604 may be executed first, and then step 603 is executed. Subsequently, if the UDM determines that the identification information of the first SMSF is deleted, the UDM notifies the second AMF through step 605, and further completes the activation of the short message service implemented by the terminal through the second access technology and notifies the terminal through steps 606 to 609.

On the other hand, if the terminal determines that the preference information indicates that the second access technology is preferred, it determines to trigger activation of the short message service implemented by the second access technology, and then completes deactivation of the short message service implemented by the terminal by the first access technology through step 610, and then completes registration of the terminal to the second AMF of the second PLMN and activation of the short message service implemented by the second access technology through step 611 and subsequent steps of step 611.

Therefore, according to the first implementation method, the terminal can select whether to activate the short message service implemented by the second access technology based on the preference information. And the UDM only stores the association of the identification information of one SMSF with the access technology, so that the UDM does not need to select but directly determines the identification information of the SMSF.

Implementing method two, second AMF decision whether to activate short message service implemented by second access

In the second implementation method, the terminal stores the preference information, and the second AMF decides whether to activate the short message service implemented by the second access. As shown in fig. 7, to implement the short message sending method corresponding to the second method, the method specifically includes the following steps:

step 701, the terminal sends a registration request message to the second AMF through the second access technology of the second PLMN.

The registration request message is used to request triggering of activation of the short message service implemented by the second access technology.

The registration request message carries preference information and information of the second access technology.

In step 702, the second AMF obtains the preference information and determines whether to trigger the activation of the short message service implemented by the second access technology according to the preference information.

If the preferred access technology indicated by the preference information is the first access technology, the second AMF decides to allow the terminal to register only to the second AMF of the second PLMN, but does not trigger the activation of the short message service implemented by the second access technology, then step 703-step 709 are executed.

If the preferred access technology indicated by the preference information is the second access technology, the second AMF determines not only to allow the terminal to register to the second AMF of the second PLMN, but also to trigger activation of the short message service implemented through the second access technology, then step 710 is performed.

Step 703-step 709 are similar to step 603-step 609 in the flow shown in fig. 6, and reference may be made to the foregoing description, which is not repeated here.

In step 710, the second AMF triggers the second SMSF to activate the short message service implemented through the second access technology.

The step 710 and the subsequent registration process may refer to the registration process shown in fig. 2, which is not described herein again.

After completing step 710 and the subsequent activation procedure of step 710, the context of the terminal stored in the UDM is as shown in table 1 above. That is, when the second AMF determines to trigger the activation of the short message service implemented by the second access technology in step 702, step 710 and subsequent registration procedures are performed to complete the activation of the short message service implemented by the second access technology of the terminal. Thus, the association of the identification information of the first SMSF with the first access technology and the association of the identification information of the second SMSF with the second access technology will be stored in the UDM.

Further, if the UDM stores the association between the identification information of more than one SMSF and the access technology by the second implementation method, the second implementation method may be combined with the first solution to implement the sending of the short message. That is, the UDM also stores preference information, when the UDM needs to select the identification information of the SMSF, the UDM selects one of the identification information of the SMSFs according to the preference information, and sends the selected identification information of the SMSF to the short message center.

To sum up, in the second implementation method, on the premise that the terminal is already registered to the first AMF of the first PLMN and activates the short message service implemented by the first access technology, if the terminal wants to register to the second AMF of the second PLMN and wants to activate the short message service implemented by the second access technology, the terminal first registers to the second AMF of the second PLMN. It is then decided by the second AMF whether to trigger activation of the short message service implemented by the second access technology.

On one hand, if the second AMF determines that the preference information is the first access technology, and determines that activation of the short message service implemented through the second access technology is not triggered, step 703-step 704 are performed, so that the terminal is registered to the second AMF of the second PLMN, but does not activate the short message service implemented through the second access technology. And, the second AMF notifies the terminal of the inactivity of the short message service implemented through the second access technology in step 703, subscribes to the UDM in step 704: and when the UDM deletes the identification information of the first SMSF, the UDM informs the second AMF. It should be noted that the order of step 703 and step 704 may be interchanged, that is, step 704 may be executed first, and then step 703 may be executed. Subsequently, if the UDM determines that the identification information of the first SMSF is deleted, the UDM notifies the second AMF through step 705, and further completes the activation of the short message service implemented by the terminal through the second access technology and notifies the terminal through steps 706 to 709.

On the other hand, if the second AMF determines that the preference information is the second access technology, it determines to trigger activation of the short message service implemented through the second access technology, and then completes registration of the terminal to the second AMF of the second PLMN and activation of the short message service implemented through the second access technology through step 710 and subsequent steps of step 710.

Therefore, in the second implementation method, the second AMF may select whether to activate the short message service implemented by the second access technology based on the preference information.

Case two, the second AMF stores preference information

In this case two, the second AMF stores preference information, which may be pre-configured at the second AMF. And a decision is made by the second AMF on whether to activate the short message service implemented by the second access.

The flow of the short message sending method corresponding to the second case is similar to the second implementation method of the first case, and the main difference between the second case and the second implementation method of the first case is that: the preference information is not transmitted to the second AMF by the terminal through the registration request message but is pre-configured in the second AMF. Therefore, the second AMF can directly obtain the preference information from the local. For other processes, reference may be made to the related description of the second implementation method of the first case, which is not described herein again.

Case three, the UDM stores preference information

In case three, the UDM stores preference information and decides by the UDM whether to activate the short message service implemented through the second access. As shown in fig. 8, a flow of a short message sending method corresponding to case three specifically includes the following steps:

in step 801, the terminal sends a registration request message to the second AMF through the second access technology of the second PLMN.

The registration request message includes information of the second access technology.

In step 802, the second AMF sends a registration request message to the UDM.

Step 803, the UDM obtains the preference information and determines whether to trigger activation of the short message service implemented by the second access technology according to the preference information.

If the preferred access technology indicated by the preference information is the first access technology, the UDM determines not to trigger the activation of the short message service implemented by the second access technology, and then step 804 and step 810 are executed.

If the preferred access technology indicated by the preference information is the second access technology, the UDM decides to trigger activation of the short message service implemented by the second access technology, and then step 811 is performed.

In step 804, the UDM informs the second AMF not to trigger the activation of the short message service implemented by the second access technology.

Step 805, the second AMF sends first indication information to the terminal, where the first indication information is used to indicate that the short message service implemented by the second access technology is not activated.

That is, after the second AMF determines that activation of the short message service implemented by the terminal through the second access technology is not triggered, the second AMF sends first indication information to the terminal, where the first indication information is used to indicate that the short message service implemented by the second access technology is not activated.

The UDM may obtain the association between the identification information of the first SMSF and the first access technology in a process in which the terminal activates the short message service implemented through the first access technology. Step 806, after the UDM deletes the identification information of the first SMSF, notifying the second AMF: selecting a second SMSF and triggering the second SMSF to activate the short message service realized by the second access technology.

This step 806 is an optional step, performed only if the UDM needs to delete the identification information of the first SMSF. Specifically, the terminal may deregister from the first PLMN, or the UDM deletes the identification information of the first SMSF when the terminal deactivates the short message service of the first PLMN, which is implemented by using the first access technology.

And the UDM notifies the second AMF to select the second SMSF after deleting the identification information of the first SMSF, and triggers the second SMSF to activate the short message service realized by the second access technology.

The second AMF selects the second SMSF and triggers the second SMSF to activate the short message service implemented via the second access technology, step 807.

Step 808, the second SMSF queries subscription data of the terminal from the UDM, determines whether to allow activation of the short message service implemented by the second access technology, and registers the second SMSF with the UMD if the subscription is allowed.

The specific implementation process of step 808 may refer to the related descriptions of step 5a and step 5b in the short message registration procedure shown in fig. 2, and is not described herein again.

At step 809, the second SMSF sends an activation response message to the second AMF.

Step 810, the second AMF sends second indication information to the terminal, where the second indication information is used to indicate that the short message service implemented by the second access technology is activated.

The flow ends.

In step 811, the UDM informs the second AMF to trigger activation of the short message service implemented via the second access technology.

The step 811 and the subsequent steps of the step 811 may refer to the registration procedure shown in fig. 2, or refer to the descriptions of the above step 806 to step 810, which are not described herein again.

To sum up, in the third scenario, on the premise that the terminal is already registered to the first AMF of the first PLMN and activates the short message service implemented by the first access technology, if the terminal wants to register and activate the second AMF of the second PLMN and wants to activate the short message service implemented by the second access technology, the terminal sends a registration request message to the second AMF, and registers to the second AMF first. A registration request message is then sent by the second AMF to the UDM.

On one hand, if it is determined that the preference information indicates that the first access technology is preferred, the UDM determines that activation of the short message service implemented by the second access technology is not triggered, and then executes steps 804 to 805 without activating the short message service implemented by the second access technology. And, the second AMF notifies the terminal of the inactivation of the short message service implemented through the second access technology in step 805. Subsequently, if the UDM determines that the identification information of the first SMSF is deleted, the UDM notifies the second AMF through step 806, and further completes the activation of the short message service implemented by the terminal through the second access technology and notifies the terminal through steps 807 to 810.

On the other hand, if it is determined that the preference information indicates that the second access technology is preferred, the UDM determines to trigger activation of the short message service implemented by the second access technology, and completes activation of the short message service implemented by the second access technology through the step 811 and the subsequent steps of the step 811.

Thus, in case three, the UDM may select whether to activate the short message service implemented by the second access technology based on the preference information.

Therefore, the invention discloses a short message sending method, which comprises the following steps:

the data management network element acquires the association between the identification information of the first short message service network element and the first access technology;

after the data management network element deletes the identification information of the first short message service network element, the data management network element notifies an access and mobility management network element: selecting a second short message service network element and triggering the second short message service network element to activate a short message service realized by a second access technology;

wherein the first short message service network element and the second short message service network element are respectively located in a first public land mobile network PLMN and a second PLMN, and the first access technology and the second access technology respectively correspond to the first PLMN and the second PLMN.

For example, the operation of the data management network element may refer to the description of the first implementation method, the second implementation method, and the third implementation method in the above case one, and is not described again.

The invention also discloses a short message sending method, which comprises the following steps:

the method comprises the steps that an access and mobility management network element acquires preference information, wherein the preference information is used for indicating a first access technology preferred by a terminal or a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN);

the access and mobility management network element receives a registration request message from a terminal, wherein the registration request message is used for requesting to trigger the activation of the short message service realized by a second access technology;

and the access and mobility management network element determines not to trigger the activation of the short message service realized by the second access technology according to the preference information.

For example, the operation of the access and mobility management network element may refer to the description of the implementation method of the case one and the case two, which are not described again.

the access and mobility management network element receives a registration request message from a terminal through an access technology, wherein the registration request message is used for triggering the activation of a short message service realized through the access technology;

the access and mobility management network element learns from the data management network element: the access and mobility management network element does not trigger the activation of the short message service realized by the access technology;

and the access and mobility management network element sends first indication information to the terminal, wherein the first indication information is used for indicating that the short message service realized by the access technology is not activated.

For example, the operation of the access and mobility management network element may refer to the description of the above case three, and is not described again.

a terminal sends a first registration request message through a first access technology of a first Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN), wherein the first registration request message is used for triggering the activation of a short message service realized through the first access technology;

the terminal judges whether to trigger the activation of the short message service realized by the second access technology according to preference information, wherein the preference information is used for indicating the preferred access technology of the terminal;

and the terminal sends a second registration request message through a second access technology of a second PLMN according to the judgment result.

For example, the operation of the access and mobility management network element may refer to the description of the first implementation method of the first scenario, and is not described again.

The above-mentioned scheme provided by the present application is mainly introduced from the perspective of interaction between network elements. It is to be understood that the above-described implementation of each network element includes, in order to implement the above-described functions, a corresponding hardware structure and/or software module for performing each function. Those of skill in the art will readily appreciate that the present invention can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software, with the exemplary elements and algorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein. Whether a function is performed as hardware or computer software drives hardware depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the solution. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present invention.

Based on the same inventive concept, as shown in fig. 9, a schematic diagram of an apparatus provided in the present application is shown, where the apparatus may be a terminal, a data management network element, or an access and mobility management network element, and may respectively perform the methods performed by the terminal, the data management network element, or the access and mobility management network element in any of the embodiments described above.

The apparatus 900 comprises at least one processor 901, a transmitter 902, a receiver 903, and optionally a memory 904. The processor 901, transmitter 902, receiver 903, and memory 904 are connected by a communication line.

Processor 901 may be a general purpose Central Processing Unit (CPU), microprocessor, application specific ASIC, or one or more integrated circuits configured to control the execution of programs in accordance with the inventive arrangements.

The communication link may include a path for transmitting information between the units.

The transmitter 901 and the receiver 902 are used for communicating with other devices or a communication network. The transmitter and receiver include radio frequency circuitry.

The memory 904 may be, but is not limited to, a ROM or other type of static storage device that can store static information and instructions, a RAM or other type of dynamic storage device that can store information and instructions, an Electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, an optical disk storage (including a compact disk, a laser disk, an optical disk, a digital versatile disk, a blu-ray disk, etc.), a magnetic disk storage medium or other magnetic storage device, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer. The memory 903 may be separate and coupled to the processor 901 via a communication line. The memory 904 may also be integrated with the processor. The memory 904 is used for storing application program codes for implementing the present invention, and the processor 901 controls the execution. The processor 901 is configured to execute application program code stored in the memory 904.

In particular implementations, processor 901 may include one or more CPUs such as CPU0 and CPU1 in fig. 9 as an example.

In particular implementations, apparatus 900 may include multiple processors, such as processor 901 and processor 908 in fig. 9, for one embodiment. Each of these processors may be a single-Core (CPU) processor or a multi-Core (CPU) processor, where a processor may refer to one or more devices, circuits, and/or processing cores for processing data (e.g., computer program instructions).

It should be understood that when the apparatus 900 is a terminal, the apparatus 900 can be used for implementing the steps executed by the terminal in the method of the embodiment of the present invention. Reference is made to the above for relevant features, which are not described in detail here.

It should be understood that when the apparatus 900 is a data management network element, the apparatus 900 may be used to implement the steps performed by the data management network element in the method of the embodiment of the present invention. Reference is made to the above for relevant features, which are not described in detail here.

It should be understood that when the apparatus 900 is an access and mobility management network element, the apparatus 900 may be used to implement the steps performed by the access and mobility management network element in the method of the embodiment of the present invention. Reference is made to the above for relevant features, which are not described in detail here.

In particular implementations, the actions of the terminal in fig. 5-8 may be performed by processor 901 (and/or processor 908) in apparatus 900 invoking application program code stored in memory 904, which is not limited in this application.

In particular implementations, the actions of the UDM in fig. 5-8 may be performed by the processor 901 (and/or the processor 908) in the apparatus 900 calling an application code stored in the memory 904, which is not limited in any way by the embodiment of the present application.

In a specific implementation, the actions of the second AMF in fig. 5-8 may be performed by the processor 901 (and/or the processor 908) in the apparatus 900 calling an application program code stored in the memory 904, which is not limited in any way by the embodiment of the present application.

The present application may perform functional module division on the data management network element according to the above method example, for example, each functional module may be divided corresponding to each function, or two or more functions may be integrated in one processing module. The integrated module can be realized in a form of hardware, a form of a software functional module, or a form of combination of software and hardware. It should be noted that, the division of the modules in the present application is schematic, and is only a logical function division, and there may be another division manner in actual implementation. For example, in the case of dividing each functional module by corresponding functions, fig. 10 shows a schematic diagram of an apparatus, the apparatus 1000 may be a data management network element according to the foregoing embodiments, and the apparatus 1000 includes a receiving unit 1001, a sending unit 1002, and a processing unit 1003.

In a first implementation:

the receiving unit 1001 is configured to receive a request message from a short message center, where the request message is used to request identification information of a short message service network element, and the short message service network element is used to send a short message from the short message center to a terminal;

the processing unit 1003 is configured to select, according to preference information of the terminal, identification information of one short message service network element from stored identification information of at least two short message service network elements, where the preference information is used to indicate a preferred access technology of the terminal, and the preferred access technology of the terminal is associated with the identification information of the selected short message service network element;

the sending unit 1002 sends the identification information of the selected short message service network element to the short message center.

In a possible implementation manner, the stored identification information of the at least two short message service network elements includes identification information of a first short message service network element and identification information of a second short message service network element;

the receiving unit 1001 is further configured to receive information of a first access technology of a first public land mobile network PLMN from a first access and mobility management network element, and receive identification information of the first short message service network element from the first short message service network element;

the processing unit 1003 is further configured to establish association between the identification information of the first short message service network element and the first access technology;

the receiving unit 1001 is further configured to receive, from a second access and mobility management network element, the preference information and information of a second access technology of a second PLMN, and receive, from a second short message service network element, identification information of the second short message service network element, where the preference information is the first access technology or the second access technology corresponding to a short message service;

the processing unit 1003 is further configured to establish an association relationship between the identification information of the second short message service network element and the second access technology;

wherein the first access and mobility management network element and the first short message service network element are located in the first PLMN, and the second access and mobility management network element and the second short message service network element are located in the second PLMN.

In a possible implementation manner, the processing unit 1003 is further configured to determine that the terminal is in an idle state in the first access technology, and determine that the terminal is in an idle state in the second access technology; alternatively, the first and second electrodes may be,

the processing unit 1003 is further configured to determine that the terminal is in a connected state under the first access technology, and determine that the terminal is in a connected state under the second access technology.

In a second implementation:

the processing unit 1003 is configured to acquire association between identification information of a first short message service network element and a first access technology;

the sending unit 1002 is configured to notify an access and mobility management network element, after the processing unit 1003 deletes the identifier information of the first short message service network element: selecting a second short message service network element and triggering the second short message service network element to activate a short message service realized by a second access technology;

the first short message service network element and the second short message service network element are respectively located in a first PLMN and a second PLMN, and the first access technology and the second access technology respectively correspond to the first PLMN and the second PLMN.

In a possible implementation manner, the receiving unit 1001 is configured to receive a subscription of the access and mobility management network element: and after the identification information of the first short message service network element is deleted, the access and mobility management network element is notified.

In a possible implementation manner, the processing unit 1003 is further configured to obtain preference information, where the preference information is used to indicate that the first access technology is preferred by a terminal or the second PLMN;

the receiving unit 1001 is configured to receive a registration request message from the access and mobility management network element, where the registration request message includes information of the second access technology;

the sending unit 1002 is further configured to notify the access and mobility management network element not to trigger activation of the short message service implemented by the second access technology according to the preference information.

It should be understood that the apparatus may be used to implement the steps performed by the data management network element in the method according to the embodiment of the present invention, and reference may be made to the above for related features, which are not described herein again.

The present application may perform functional module division on the access and mobility management network element according to the above method example, for example, each functional module may be divided corresponding to each function, or two or more functions may be integrated in one processing module. The integrated module can be realized in a form of hardware, a form of a software functional module, or a form of combination of software and hardware. It should be noted that, the division of the modules in the present application is schematic, and is only a logical function division, and there may be another division manner in actual implementation. For example, in the case of dividing each functional module by corresponding functions, fig. 11 shows a schematic diagram of an apparatus, where the apparatus 1100 may be an access and mobility management network element involved in the foregoing embodiments, and the apparatus 1100 includes a receiving unit 1101, a sending unit 1102, and a processing unit 1103.

In a first implementation:

the processing unit 1103 is configured to obtain preference information, where the preference information is used to indicate a first access technology preferred by a terminal or a PLMN;

the receiving unit 1101 is configured to receive a registration request message from a terminal, where the registration request message is used to request to trigger activation of a short message service implemented by a second access technology;

the processing unit 1103 is further configured to determine not to trigger activation of the short message service implemented by the second access technology according to the preference information.

In a possible implementation manner, the processing unit 1103 is further configured to determine not to trigger activation of a short message service implemented by a second access technology according to the preference information, and specifically includes:

the processing unit 1103 determines, according to the preference information, that the access technology indicated by the preference information is different from the second access technology.

In a possible implementation manner, the acquiring, by the processing unit 1103, preference information specifically includes: the processing unit 1103 receives the preference information from the terminal; or the preference information is configured in the access and mobility management network element.

In a possible implementation manner, the first access technology is associated with identification information of a first short message service network element, and the apparatus further includes a sending unit 1102; the sending unit 1102 subscribes to a data management network element: after the data management network element deletes the identification information of the first short message service network element, the data management network element notifies the device; the processing unit 1103 is further configured to, after the receiving unit 1101 receives the notification from the data management network element, select a second short message service network element and trigger the second short message service network element to activate a short message service implemented by using the second access technology, where the second access technology is associated with identification information of the second short message service network element.

In a possible implementation manner, after the processing unit 1103 determines that activation of the short message service implemented by the terminal through the second access technology is not triggered, the sending unit 1102 sends first indication information to the terminal, where the first indication information is used to indicate that the short message service implemented by the second access technology is not activated.

In a possible implementation manner, after the receiving unit 1101 learns that the short message service implemented by the second access technology is activated, the sending unit 1102 sends second indication information to the terminal, where the second indication information is used to indicate that the short message service implemented by the second access technology is activated.

In a second implementation:

the receiving unit 1101 is configured to receive a registration request message from a terminal through an access technology, where the registration request message is used to trigger activation of a short message service implemented through the access technology;

the receiving unit 1101 is further configured to learn, from a data management network element: activating the short message service realized by the access technology is not triggered;

the sending unit 1102 is configured to send first indication information to the terminal, where the first indication information is used to indicate that a short message service implemented by the access technology is not activated.

In a possible implementation manner, after the receiving unit 1101 receives a notification from the data management network element, the processing unit 1103 selects a short message service network element and triggers the short message service network element to activate a short message service implemented by the access technology;

after the receiving unit 1101 learns that the short message service implemented by the access technology is activated, the sending unit 1102 sends second indication information to the terminal, where the second indication information is used to indicate that the short message service implemented by the access technology is activated.

It should be understood that the apparatus may be used to implement the steps performed by the access and mobility management network element in the method according to the embodiment of the present invention, and reference may be made to the above for related features, which are not described herein again.

The present application may perform the division of the functional modules for the terminal according to the above method example, for example, each functional module may be divided corresponding to each function, or two or more functions may be integrated into one processing module. The integrated module can be realized in a form of hardware, a form of a software functional module, or a form of combination of software and hardware. It should be noted that, the division of the modules in the present application is schematic, and is only a logical function division, and there may be another division manner in actual implementation. For example, in the case of dividing each functional module by corresponding functions, fig. 12 shows a schematic diagram of an apparatus, the apparatus 1200 may be a terminal according to the above embodiment, and the apparatus 1200 includes a receiving unit 1201, a transmitting unit 1202 and a processing unit 1203.

In a first implementation:

the sending unit 1202 is configured to send a registration request message to an access and mobility management network element, where the registration request message is used to request triggering of activation of a short message service implemented by an access technology;

the receiving unit 1201 is configured to receive first indication information from the access and mobility management network element, where the first indication information is used to indicate that a short message service implemented by the access technology is not activated.

In a possible implementation manner, the receiving unit 1201 is further configured to receive second indication information from the access and mobility management network element, where the second indication information is used to indicate that a short message service implemented by the access technology is activated.

In a second implementation:

the sending unit 1202 is configured to send a first registration request message through a first access technology of a first PLMN, where the first registration request message is used to trigger activation of a short message service implemented through the first access technology;

the processing unit 1203 is configured to determine whether to trigger activation of a short message service implemented by using a second access technology according to preference information, where the preference information is used to indicate a preferred access technology of the terminal;

the sending unit 1202 is further configured to send a second registration request message through a second access technology of a second PLMN according to the determination result.

In a possible implementation manner, the preferred access technology of the terminal is the second access technology, and the second registration request message includes indication information for indicating that the terminal supports a short message service implemented by the second access technology;

the sending unit 1202 is further configured to initiate a procedure of deactivating the short message service implemented by the first access technology.

In one possible implementation, the preferred access technology of the terminal is the first access technology;

the processing unit 1203 is further configured to determine not to trigger activation of a short message service implemented by the second access technology;

the sending unit 1202 is further configured to send the second registration request message, where the second registration request message is used to indicate that activation of the short message service implemented by the second access technology is not triggered.

It should be understood that the apparatus may be used to implement the steps executed by the terminal in the method according to the embodiment of the present invention, and the related features may refer to the foregoing description, which is not described herein again.

In the above embodiments, the implementation may be wholly or partially realized by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, may be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When loaded and executed on a computer, cause the processes or functions described in accordance with the embodiments of the invention to occur, in whole or in part. The computer may be a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a network of computers, 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, from one website site, computer, server, or data center to another website site, 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.). The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device, such as a server, a data center, etc., that incorporates one or more of the available media. The usable medium may be a magnetic medium (e.g., floppy Disk, hard Disk, magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., DVD), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., Solid State Disk (SSD)), among others.

While the invention has been described in connection with various embodiments, other variations to the disclosed embodiments can be understood and effected by those skilled in the art in practicing the claimed invention, from a review of the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, and the word "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality. A single processor or other unit may fulfill the functions of several items recited in the claims. The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage.

These computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide steps for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart flow or flows and/or block diagram block or blocks.

While the invention has been described in conjunction with specific features and embodiments thereof, it will be evident that various modifications and combinations can be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the specification and figures are merely exemplary of the invention as defined in the appended claims and are intended to cover any and all modifications, variations, combinations, or equivalents within the scope of the invention. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Thus, if such modifications and variations of the present invention fall within the scope of the claims of the present invention and their equivalents, the present invention is also intended to include such modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A method for sending a short message, comprising:

a data management network element receives a request message from a short message center, wherein the request message is used for requesting the identification information of a short message service network element, and the short message service network element is used for sending the short message from the short message center to a terminal;

the data management network element selects identification information of one short message service network element from the identification information of at least two short message service network elements stored by the data management network element according to preference information of the terminal, wherein the preference information is used for indicating a preferred access technology of the terminal, and the preferred access technology of the terminal is associated with the identification information of the selected short message service network element;

the data management network element sends the identification information of the selected short message service network element to the short message center;

the identification information of the at least two short message service network elements stored by the data management network element comprises identification information of a first short message service network element and identification information of a second short message service network element; the method further comprises the following steps:

the data management network element receiving information of a first access technology of a first Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) from a first access and mobility management network element and receiving identification information of the first short message service network element from the first short message service network element;

the data management network element establishes the association between the identification information of the first short message service network element and the first access technology;

the data management network element receives the preference information and information of a second access technology of a second PLMN from a second access and mobility management network element, and receives identification information of a second short message service network element from the second short message service network element, wherein the preference information is the first access technology or the second access technology corresponding to the short message service;

the data management network element establishes the incidence relation between the identification information of the second short message service network element and the second access technology;

2. A communications apparatus, comprising: a receiving unit, a transmitting unit and a processing unit;

the receiving unit is configured to receive a request message from a short message center, where the request message is used to request identification information of a short message service network element, and the short message service network element is used to send a short message from the short message center to a terminal;

the processing unit is configured to select, according to preference information of the terminal, identification information of one short message service network element from stored identification information of at least two short message service network elements, where the preference information is used to indicate a preferred access technology of the terminal, and the preferred access technology of the terminal is associated with the identification information of the selected short message service network element;

the sending unit is configured to send the identification information of the selected short message service network element to the short message center;

the stored identification information of the at least two short message service network elements comprises identification information of a first short message service network element and identification information of a second short message service network element;

the receiving unit is further configured to receive information of a first access technology of a first public land mobile network PLMN from a first access and mobility management network element, and receive identification information of the first short message service network element from the first short message service network element;

the processing unit is further configured to establish association between the identification information of the first short message service network element and the first access technology;

the receiving unit is further configured to receive, from a second access and mobility management network element, the preference information and information of a second access technology of a second PLMN, and receive, from a second short message service network element, identification information of the second short message service network element, where the preference information is the first access technology or the second access technology corresponding to a short message service;

the processing unit is further configured to establish an association relationship between the identification information of the second short message service network element and the second access technology;