CN110832909B

CN110832909B - Network registration method, related equipment and system

Info

Publication number: CN110832909B
Application number: CN201780089413.3A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 杨皓睿; 金辉; 欧阳国威; 何岳; 窦凤辉
Original assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Current assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Priority date: 2017-07-26
Filing date: 2017-07-26
Publication date: 2021-02-09
Anticipated expiration: 2037-07-26
Also published as: CN110832909A; WO2019019037A1

Abstract

The application discloses a network registration method, which comprises the following steps: user Equipment (UE) sends a registration message to a mobile management function (AMF), wherein the registration message comprises network slice selection auxiliary information NSSAI requested by the UE; the UE receives a registration accept message sent by the AMF, where the registration accept message includes a first NSSAI, a second NSSAI, and a third NSSAI, the first NSSAI indicates the nsfai provided by the AMF and used by the UE simultaneously in the NSSAIs requested by the UE in the current registration area RA, the second NSSAI indicates the NSSAI allowed to be used by the UE in the current RA but not provided by the AMF, and the third NSSAI indicates the nsfai provided by the AMF and allowed to be used by the UE in the current RA. The application also provides a user equipment, a wireless access node, a mobile management function entity and a network registration system. The method and the device enable the UE to obtain the complete NSSAI without missing NSSAI, so that the practicability and feasibility of the scheme are improved.

Description

Network registration method, related equipment and system

Technical Field

The present application relates to the field of communications technologies, and in particular, to a network registration method, a related device, and a system.

Background

With the development of communication technology and the increasing demand of the public for communication networks, the standardization of the fifth-generation mobile communication technology (5th-generation, 5G) is rapidly underway. Due to the rapid development of industries such as the internet of things, the internet of things has higher requirements for network speed, which undoubtedly becomes an important factor for promoting the development of 5G networks.

At present, a registration process of a User Equipment (UE) in a 5G core network is as follows, first, the UE initiates a registration request to a network device, and the network device determines an acceptable (allowed) NSSAI of the UE according to Network Slice Selection Auxiliary Information (NSSAI) and a requested (requested) NSSAI in subscription information of the UE. The allowed NSSAI is an intersection of the requested NSSAI and the NSSAI in the subscription information, and only if the UE is allowed to use a Network Slice Instance (NSI) in the subscription information, the allowed NSSAI includes the NSSAI corresponding to the NSI. Meanwhile, the network device sends an available NSSAI to the UE, where the available NSSAI is a subset of NSSAIs allowed by a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) currently serving the UE in a current Registration Area (RA) of the UE, that is, NSSAI corresponding to the NSSAI supported by an access and mobility management function (AMF) of the currently serving UE is not included in the UE subscription information. After the UE receives the allowed NSSAI and the available NSSAI, if the UE wants to use the available NSSAI in the current RA, because the current AMF cannot support the available NSSAI, the UE needs to initiate a registration request to the network device again, and the network selects a new AMF for the UE to support the NSSAI requested by the UE in the registration process.

However, in practical cases, the allowed NSSAIs do not include all NSSAIs that can be supported by the current AMF and exist in the UE subscription information, and these missed NSSAIs do not necessarily belong to available NSSAIs, so that the UE cannot use these missed NSSAIs, thereby reducing the practicability of the scheme.

Disclosure of Invention

The embodiment of the application provides a network registration method, related equipment and system, if an NSSAI required by UE can be supported by AMF, but the NSSAI does not exist in a first NSSAI and a second NSSAI, a third NSSAI can be determined according to the NSSAI supported by the AMF, so that the UE can obtain a complete NSSAI, and no missing NSSAI exists, thereby improving the practicability and feasibility of the scheme.

In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a method for network registration, including: first, the UE sends a registration message to the AMF, where the registration message is a non-access stratum message, and the registration message includes NSSAI requested by the UE. The UE may select instances associated with the build slices by providing NSSAIs, each NSSAI corresponding to a network slice, including a type of service and a difference factor for the type of service. This NSSAI may be pre-configured or may be acquired from the network after the terminal attaches. The network with the slicing function may select slices for the terminal according to NSSAI provided by the terminal. The UE may access multiple core network slices simultaneously through one wireless network, in which case all of the slices are managed by one common access and AMF.

After the UE sends the registration message to the AMF, the AMF sends a registration accept message to the UE, where the registration accept message includes a first NSSAI, a second NSSAI, and a third NSSAI, the first NSSAI indicates an AMF-provided NSSAI that is simultaneously used by the UE in an NSSAI requested by the UE in the current RA, the second NSSAI indicates an NSSAI that is allowed to be used by the UE in the current RA but is not provided by the AMF, and the third NSSAI indicates an AMF-provided NSSAI that is allowed to be used by the UE in the current RA.

The first NSSAI, which may also be referred to as an allowed NSSAI, is the intersection between the UE-subscribed NSSAI, the UE-requested NSSAI, and the AMF-provided NSSAI. The NSSAI requested by the UE is specifically an NSSAI requested by the UE in the current RA, and the NSSAI subscribed by the UE is specifically an NSSAI that can be used by the UE and a network agreement. The second NSSAI may also be referred to as available NSSAI, and the second NSSAI is an intersection portion between the NSSAI subscribed to by the UE and the NSSAI allowed by the PLMN serving the UE to use within the current RA of the UE, i.e., a subset of the NSSAI subscribed to by the UE, but does not include the NSSAI supported by the AMF providing the service. That is, the second NSSAI indicates an NSSAI that the UE is allowed to use within the current RA but is not provided by the AMF. The third NSSAI may also be referred to as AMF available NSSAI, and is the intersection between the UE-subscribed NSSAI and the AMF-self-supported NSSAI. Optionally, the third NSSAI may also be obtained by removing the first NSSAI from the intersection between the UE-subscribed NSSAI and the AMF-self-supported NSSAI.

It can be seen that in the technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present application, a method for network registration is provided, where first, a UE sends a registration message to an AMF, where the registration message includes network slice selection assistance information NSSAI requested by the UE, and then, the UE may receive a registration acceptance message sent by the AMF, where the registration acceptance message includes a first NSSAI, a second NSSAI, and a third NSSAI, the first NSSAI indicates an NSSAI provided by the AMF and used by the UE at the same time in an NSSAI requested by the UE in a current RA, the second NSSAI indicates an NSSAI provided by the AMF and used by the UE but not provided by the AMF in the current RA, and the third NSSAI indicates an NSSAI provided by the AMF and used by the UE in the current RA. Through the above manner, if the NSSAI required by the UE can be supported by the AMF, but does not exist in the first NSSAI and the second NSSAI, the third NSSAI can be determined according to the NSSAI supported by the AMF, so that the UE can obtain a complete NSSAI without missing NSSAI, thereby improving the practicability and feasibility of the scheme.

In one possible design, in a first implementation of the first aspect of the embodiment of the present application, the UE-requested NSSAI includes a fourth NSSAI and a fifth NSSAI, where the fourth NSSAI indicates an NSSAI of a network slice in which the UE has established a session, and the fifth NSSAI indicates the UE to add the requested NSSAI.

It will be appreciated that the UE has established a protocol data unit session, and in a layered network architecture, such as the open systems interconnection model, protocol data units will be established at each layer of the transport system. The protocol data unit contains information from the upper layer and information attached to the entity of the current layer. This protocol data unit is then passed to the next lower layer. The physical layer actually transports the protocol data units in a framed bitstream, but the protocol data units are built by the higher layers of the protocol stack. The receiving system passes the packets from bottom to top through the protocol stack and separates out the relevant information in the protocol data unit at each layer of the protocol stack.

It can be seen that, in the embodiment of the present application, if the UE wants to use a network slice in the second NSSAI and the current AMF does not support the network slice, the UE re-initiates the registration request, and carries the fourth NSSAI and the fifth NSSAI in the NSSAI requested by the UE, and selects an appropriate AMF for network registration according to the fourth NSSAI and the fifth NSSAI. Through the method, the UE can acquire the new network slice example which is allowed to be used by the network, and the establishment of the subsequent session is ensured, so that the feasibility and the practicability of the scheme are improved.

In a possible design, in a second implementation manner of the first aspect of the embodiment of the present application, after receiving the registration accept message sent by the AMF, the UE may further include the following step:

the UE selects the required NSSAI as required. If the UE needs to use the NSSAI in the first NSSAI, the UE may directly initiate a protocol data unit session establishment request, and carry the NSSAI needed by the UE in the protocol data unit session establishment request, so that the UE may establish a session using a network slice corresponding to the first NSSAI.

In the 5G era, the object of the mobile network service is not a pure mobile phone, but various types of devices, such as a mobile phone, a tablet, a fixed sensor, a vehicle, and the like. Application scenarios are also diversified, such as mobile broadband, large-scale internet, and mission-critical internet. The requirements to be met are also diversified, such as mobility, safety, time-lapse, reliability, and the like.

It is understood that, after performing network registration, the UE in this application may use the network slice corresponding to the first NSSAI.

In today's mobile networks, network function virtualization is a prerequisite for implementing network slicing. Basically, the main idea of network function virtualization is to deploy network function software to virtual machines on a business server, rather than separately to their dedicated network devices. Thus, the RAN acts as an edge cloud and the core functions of the RAN act as a core cloud, and connections between virtual machines located in the edge and core clouds are configured using a software defined network, and then slices are created for different services (e.g., telephony slices, large-scale internet of things slices, mission-critical internet of things slices, etc.).

As can be seen, in the embodiment of the present application, after the UE receives the registration acceptance message sent by the AMF, the network slice corresponding to the first NSSAI may be further used, so as to improve the practicability and operability of the scheme.

In a possible design, in a third implementation manner of the first aspect of the embodiment of the present application, after the UE receives the registration accept message sent by the AMF, the method may further include the following steps:

in addition, if the NSSAI that the UE needs to use belongs to the second NSSAI or belongs to the third NSSAI, the UE initiates the registration procedure to the RAN again, and after the registration is successful, the UE can use the S-NSSAI that belongs to the second NSSAI or belongs to the third NSSAI.

Similarly, after the UE performs network registration, the UE may use the network slice corresponding to the second NSSAI or the third NSSAI.

In the 5G era, mobile networks need to serve devices of various types and requirements, such application scenarios include mobile broadband, large-scale internet of things and mission-critical internet of things, which all need different types of networks, and have different requirements in the aspects of mobility, charging, security, policy control, delay, reliability, and the like.

As can be seen, in the embodiment of the present application, after the UE receives the registration acceptance message sent by the AMF, the network slice corresponding to the second NSSAI or the third NSSAI may be further used, so as to improve the practicability and operability of the scheme.

In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a method for network registration, including: firstly, the RAN receives an access stratum message sent by the UE, wherein the access stratum message includes a registration message, the registration message is a non-access stratum message, and the registration message includes an NSSAI requested by the UE. The UE may select instances associated with the build slices by providing NSSAIs, each NSSAI corresponding to a network slice, including a type of service and a difference factor for the type of service. This NSSAI may be pre-configured or may be acquired from the network after the terminal attaches. The network with the slicing function may select slices for the terminal according to NSSAI provided by the terminal. The UE may access multiple core network slices simultaneously through one wireless network, in which case all of the slices are managed by one common access and AMF.

After receiving the access stratum message sent by the UE, the RAN sends a registration message to the AMF, where, of course, the registration message still includes the NSSAI requested by the UE. The AMF will send register accept message to RAN subsequently, wherein, register accept message include first NSSAI, second NSSAI and third NSSAI, first NSSAI point out in present RA UE request NSSAI said UE use AMF offered NSSAI at the same time, second NSSAI point out in present RA permit UE use but AMF offered NSSAI, third NSSAI point out in present RA permit UE use AMF offered NSSAI.

Finally, the AMF sends a registration accept message to the RAN, wherein the registration accept message still includes the first NSSAI, the second NSSAI and the third NSSAI.

It can be seen that in the technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present application, a RAN receives an access stratum message sent by a UE, where the access stratum message includes a registration message, and the registration message includes network slice selection assistance information NSSAI requested by the UE, then the RAN sends the registration message to an AMF, and finally the RAN receives a registration acceptance message sent by the AMF, where the registration acceptance message includes a first NSSAI, a second NSSAI, and a third NSSAI. In this way, if the NSSAI required by the UE can be supported by the AMF but does not exist in the first NSSAI and the second NSSAI, the third NSSAI may be determined according to the NSSAI supported by the AMF, so that the UE may obtain a complete NSSAI, and may use the omitted NSI, thereby improving the practicability and feasibility of the scheme.

In one possible design, in a first implementation of the second aspect of the embodiments of the present application, the UE-requested NSSAI includes a fourth NSSAI and a fifth NSSAI, where the fourth NSSAI indicates an NSSAI of a network slice in which the UE has established a session, and the fifth NSSAI indicates the UE to add the requested NSSAI.

In a possible design, in a second implementation manner of the second aspect of the embodiment of the present application, after receiving the access stratum message sent by the UE, the RAN may further include the following step:

if there is an AMF supporting both the fourth NSSAI and the fifth NSSAI, the RAN determines the AMF as an AMF for which the UE is to perform network registration.

As can be seen, in the embodiment of the present application, after receiving an access stratum message sent by the UE, the RAN selects an AMF that supports both the fourth NSSAI and the fifth NSSAI, and then the UE performs network registration with the AMF. Through the above manner, the RAN can select the AMF meeting the UE requirement for the UE when the UE changes the RA, thereby improving the feasibility and operability of the scheme.

In a possible design, in a third implementation manner of the second aspect of the embodiment of the present application, after receiving the access stratum message sent by the UE, the RAN may further include the following step:

if there is no AMF supporting the fourth NSSAI and the fifth NSSAI, the RAN preferentially selects the AMF supporting the fifth NSSAI and determines the AMF as the AMF of the UE to be subjected to network registration.

As can be seen, in this embodiment of the present application, after receiving an access stratum message sent by the UE, if there is no AMF that supports both the fourth NSSAI and the fifth NSSAI in the current RA, the RAN may preferentially select the AMF that supports the fifth NSSAI, where the fifth NSSAI is an NSSAI newly applied by the UE. Through the above manner, the RAN can select the AMF meeting the UE requirement for the UE when the UE changes the RA, thereby improving the feasibility and operability of the scheme.

In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a method for network registration, including: firstly, the AMF receives a registration message sent by the UE, wherein the registration message is a non-access stratum message, and the registration message comprises NSSAI requested by the UE. The UE may select instances associated with the build slices by providing NSSAIs, each NSSAI corresponding to a network slice, including a type of service and a difference factor for the type of service. This NSSAI may be pre-configured or may be acquired from the network after the terminal attaches. The network with the slicing function may select slices for the terminal according to NSSAI provided by the terminal. The UE may access multiple core network slices simultaneously through one wireless network, in which case all of the slices are managed by one common access and AMF.

After receiving the registration message, the AMF sends a registration acceptance message to the UE, where the registration acceptance message includes a first NSSAI, a second NSSAI, and a third NSSAI, the first NSSAI indicates an AMF-provided NSSAI that is simultaneously used by the UE in the NSSAIs requested by the UE in the current RA, the second NSSAI indicates an AMF-not-provided NSSAI that is allowed to be used by the UE in the current RA, and the third NSSAI indicates an AMF-provided NSSAI that is allowed to be used by the UE in the current RA.

It can be seen that in the technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present application, a method for network registration is provided, where a registration message sent by a UE is received first, where the registration message includes an NSSAI requested by the UE, and then an AMF may send a registration acceptance message to the UE, where the registration acceptance message includes a first NSSAI, a second NSSAI, and a third NSSAI, the first NSSAI indicates an NSSAI provided by an AMF that is simultaneously used by the UE in an NSSAI requested by the UE in a current RA, the second NSSAI indicates an NSSAI that is allowed to be used by the UE in the current RA but is not provided by the AMF, and the third NSSAI indicates an NSSAI provided by the AMF that is used by the UE in the current RA. In this way, if the NSSAI required by the UE can be supported by the AMF but does not exist in the first NSSAI and the second NSSAI, the third NSSAI may be determined according to the NSSAI supported by the AMF, so that the UE may obtain a complete NSSAI, and may use the omitted NSI, thereby improving the practicability and feasibility of the scheme.

In one possible design, in a first implementation of the third aspect of the embodiments of the present application, the UE-requested NSSAI includes a fourth NSSAI and a fifth NSSAI, where the fourth NSSAI indicates an NSSAI of a network slice in which the UE has established a session, and the fifth NSSAI indicates the UE to add the requested NSSAI.

In one possible design, in a second implementation of the third aspect of the embodiments of the present application, the AMF needs to support both the fourth NSSAI and the fifth NSSAI. That is, if there is an AMF supporting both the fourth NSSAI and the fifth NSSAI, the RAN determines the AMF as an AMF to which the UE is about to perform network registration.

As can be seen, in the embodiment of the present application, the AMF selected by the RAN may support the fourth NSSAI and the fifth NSSAI at the same time. Through the method, the selected AMF can meet the requirements of the UE, so that the feasibility and operability of the scheme are improved.

In a possible design, in a third implementation manner of the third aspect of the embodiment of the present application, the AMF may also preferentially support the fifth NSSAI. That is, if there is no AMF supporting the fourth NSSAI and the fifth NSSAI, the RAN preferentially selects an AMF supporting the fifth NSSAI, and determines the AMF as an AMF to which the UE is to perform network registration.

In this embodiment, if there is no AMF currently supporting both the fourth NSSAI and the fifth NSSAI in the RA, the RAN preferentially selects the AMF supporting the fifth NSSAI. Through the method, the selected AMF can meet the requirements of the UE, so that the feasibility and operability of the scheme are improved.

In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a UE, which may include:

a sending module, configured to send a registration message to the AMF, where the registration message includes an NSSAI requested by the UE;

a receiving module, configured to receive a registration accept message sent by the AMF, where the registration accept message includes a first NSSAI, a second NSSAI, and a third NSSAI, the first NSSAI indicates an NSSAI provided by the AMF and used by the UE simultaneously in an NSSAI requested by the UE in the current RA, the second NSSAI indicates an NSSAI not provided by the AMF and allowed to be used by the UE in the current RA, and the third NSSAI indicates an NSSAI provided by the AMF and used by the UE in the current RA.

In one possible design, in a first implementation of the fourth aspect of the embodiments of the present application, the UE-requested NSSAI includes a fourth NSSAI and a fifth NSSAI, where the fourth NSSAI indicates an NSSAI of a network slice in which the UE has established a session, and the fifth NSSAI indicates the UE to add the requested NSSAI.

In a possible design, in a second implementation manner of the fourth aspect of the embodiment of the present application, the UE may further include:

and the establishing module is used for establishing a session by using the network slice corresponding to the first NSSAI after the receiving module receives the registration acceptance message sent by the AMF.

In a possible design, in a third implementation manner of the fourth aspect of the embodiment of the present application, the sending module may be further configured to, after the receiving module receives the registration accept message sent by the AMF, initiate the registration procedure again if the nsai to be used by the UE belongs to the second nsai or the third nsai.

In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a RAN, which may include:

the device comprises a receiving module, a sending module and a receiving module, wherein the receiving module is used for receiving an access layer message sent by the UE, the access layer message comprises a registration message, and the registration message comprises NSSAI requested by the UE;

a sending module, configured to send a registration message to the AMF;

the receiving module is further configured to receive a registration accept message sent by the AMF, where the registration accept message includes a first NSSAI, a second NSSAI, and a third NSSAI, the first NSSAI indicates an AMF-provided NSSAI that is simultaneously used by the UE in an NSSAI requested by the UE in the current RA, the second NSSAI indicates an NSSAI that is allowed to be used by the UE but not provided by the AMF in the current RA, and the third NSSAI indicates an AMF-provided NSSAI that is used by the UE in the current RA.

In one possible design, in a first implementation of the fifth aspect of the embodiments of the present application, the UE-requested NSSAI includes a fourth NSSAI and a fifth NSSAI, where the fourth NSSAI indicates an NSSAI of a network slice in which the UE has established a session, and the fifth NSSAI indicates the UE to add the requested NSSAI.

In one possible design, in a first implementation manner of the fifth aspect of the embodiment of the present application, the RAN may further include:

and the selection module is used for selecting the AMF supporting the fourth NSSAI and the fifth NSSAI after the receiving module receives the access stratum message sent by the UE.

In a possible design, in a second implementation manner of the fifth aspect of the embodiment of the present application, the RAN may further include:

and a selecting module, configured to preferentially select an AMF that supports the fifth NSSAI if there is no AMF that supports both the fourth NSSAI and the fifth NSSAI after the receiving module receives the registration message sent by the UE.

In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an AMF, which may include:

a receiving module, configured to receive a registration message sent by a user equipment UE, where the registration message includes network slice selection assistance information NSSAI requested by the UE;

a sending module, configured to send a registration accept message to the UE, where the registration accept message includes a first NSSAI, a second NSSAI, and a third NSSAI, the first NSSAI indicates an nsfai provided by an AMF that the UE uses simultaneously in an NSSAI requested by the UE in the current RA, the second NSSAI indicates an NSSAI that is allowed to be used by the UE but is not provided by the AMF in the current RA, and the third NSSAI indicates an NSSAI provided by an AMF that the UE uses in the current RA.

In one possible design, in a first implementation of the sixth aspect of the embodiment of the present application, the UE-requested NSSAI may include a fourth NSSAI and a fifth NSSAI, where the fourth NSSAI indicates an NSSAI of a network slice in which the UE has established a session, and the fifth NSSAI indicates the UE to add the requested NSSAI.

In one possible design, in a second implementation manner of the sixth aspect of the embodiment of the present application, the AMF may further include:

a support module for supporting a fourth NSSAI and a fifth NSSAI.

In a possible design, in a third implementation manner of the sixth aspect of the embodiment of the present application, the MF may further include:

a support module for preferentially supporting the fifth NSSAI.

In a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a UE, which may include: a memory, a transceiver, a processor, and a bus system;

wherein the memory is used for storing programs and instructions;

the transceiver is used for receiving or sending information under the control of the processor;

a processor for executing the program in the memory;

the bus system is used for connecting the memory, the transceiver and the processor so as to enable the memory, the transceiver and the processor to communicate;

the processor is used for calling the program instructions in the memory and executing the following steps:

sending a registration message to the AMF, wherein the registration message contains NSSAI requested by the UE;

receiving a registration acceptance message sent by the AMF, wherein the registration acceptance message comprises a first NSSAI, a second NSSAI and a third NSSAI, the first NSSAI indicates the NSSAI provided by the AMF which is used by the UE at the same time in the NSSAI requested by the UE in the current RA, the second NSSAI indicates the NSSAI which is allowed to be used by the UE in the current RA but not provided by the AMF, and the third NSSAI indicates the NSSAI provided by the AMF which is allowed to be used by the UE in the current RA.

In one possible design, in a first implementation of the seventh aspect of the embodiment of the present application, the UE-requested NSSAI includes a fourth NSSAI and a fifth NSSAI, where the fourth NSSAI indicates an NSSAI of a network slice in which the UE has established a session, and the fifth NSSAI indicates the UE to add the requested NSSAI.

In a possible design, in a second implementation manner of the seventh aspect of the embodiment of the present application, the processor is further configured to perform the following steps:

and establishing the session by using the network slice corresponding to the first NSSAI.

In a possible design, in a third implementation manner of the seventh aspect of the embodiment of the present application, the processor is further configured to perform the following steps:

and if the NSSAI to be used by the UE belongs to the second NSSAI or the third NSSAI, initiating the registration process again.

In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a RAN, which may include: a memory, a transceiver, a processor, and a bus system;

wherein the memory is used for storing programs and instructions;

a processor for executing the program in the memory;

receiving an access layer message sent by UE, wherein the access layer message comprises a registration message which comprises NSSAI requested by the UE;

sending a registration message to the AMF;

In one possible design, in a first implementation of the eighth aspect of the embodiment of the present application, the UE-requested NSSAI includes a fourth NSSAI and a fifth NSSAI, where the fourth NSSAI indicates an NSSAI of a network slice in which the UE has established a session, and the fifth NSSAI indicates the UE to add the requested NSSAI.

In a possible design, in a second implementation manner of the eighth aspect of the embodiment of the present application, the processor is further configured to perform the following steps:

AMFs supporting a fourth NSSAI and a fifth NSSAI are selected.

In a possible design, in a third implementation manner of the eighth aspect of the embodiment of the present application, the processor is further configured to perform the following steps:

if there is no AMF supporting both the fourth NSSAI and the fifth NSSAI, then the AMF supporting the fifth NSSAI is preferentially selected.

In a ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an AMF, which may include: a memory, a transceiver, a processor, and a bus system;

wherein the memory is used for storing programs and instructions;

a processor for executing the program in the memory;

receiving a registration message sent by UE, wherein the registration message comprises NSSAI requested by the UE;

and sending a registration acceptance message to the UE, wherein the registration acceptance message comprises a first NSSAI, a second NSSAI and a third NSSAI, the first NSSAI indicates the NSSAI provided by the AMF which is simultaneously used by the UE in the NSSAI requested by the UE in the current RA, the second NSSAI indicates the NSSAI which is allowed to be used by the UE in the current RA but not provided by the AMF, and the third NSSAI indicates the NSSAI provided by the AMF which is allowed to be used by the UE in the current RA.

In one possible design, in a first implementation of the ninth aspect of the embodiment of the present application, the UE-requested NSSAI includes a fourth NSSAI and a fifth NSSAI, where the fourth NSSAI indicates an NSSAI of a network slice in which the UE has established a session, and the fifth NSSAI indicates the UE to add the requested NSSAI.

In one possible design, in a second implementation of the ninth aspect of the embodiment of the present application, the AMF supports a fourth NSSAI and a fifth NSSAI.

In one possible design, in a third implementation form of the ninth aspect of the embodiment of the present application, the AMF preferentially supports the fifth NSSAI.

In a tenth aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a computer-readable storage medium for storing computer software instructions for the method described above, which when executed on a computer, enable the computer to perform the method of any one of the above aspects.

In an eleventh aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a computer program product comprising instructions which, when run on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method of any of the above aspects.

In a twelfth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a system for network registration, which may include a UE, a RAN, and an AMF;

the UE is the UE in the first aspect, the first, second, or third possible implementation manner of the first aspect;

the RAN is the RAN in the second aspect, the first, second, or third possible implementation manner of the second aspect;

the AMF is the AMF in the third aspect, the first, second, or third possible implementation manner of the third aspect.

In addition, for technical effects brought by any one of the design manners of the fourth aspect to the eleventh aspect, reference may be made to technical effects brought by different design manners of the first aspect to the third aspect, and details are not described here.

In the technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present application, a method for network registration is provided, where first, a UE sends a registration message to an AMF, where the registration message includes network slice selection assistance information NSSAI requested by the UE, and then the UE may receive a registration acceptance message sent by the AMF, where the registration acceptance message includes a first NSSAI, a second NSSAI, and a third NSSAI, the first NSSAI indicates an NSSAI provided by the AMF and used by the UE at the same time in an NSSAI requested by the UE in a current RA, the second NSSAI indicates an NSSAI provided by the AMF and used by the UE but not provided by the AMF in the current RA, and the third NSSAI indicates an NSSAI provided by the AMF and used by the UE in the current RA. Through the above manner, if the NSSAI required by the UE can be supported by the AMF, but does not exist in the first NSSAI and the second NSSAI, the third NSSAI can be determined according to the NSSAI supported by the AMF, so that the UE can obtain a complete NSSAI without missing NSSAI, thereby improving the practicability and feasibility of the scheme.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic architecture diagram of a 5G core network in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a method for network registration in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a first NSSAI in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a second NSSAI in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a third NSSAI in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of a third NSSAI in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a method for network registration in an application scenario of the present application;

fig. 8 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of a method for network registration in an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 9 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of a method for network registration in an application scenario of the present application;

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a user equipment in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of a user equipment in an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 12 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a wireless access node in the embodiment of the present application;

fig. 13 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of a wireless access node in the embodiment of the present application;

fig. 14 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a mobility management function entity in an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 15 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of a mobility management function entity in an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 16 is a schematic structural diagram of a user equipment in an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 17 is a schematic structural diagram of a radio access node in the embodiment of the present application;

fig. 18 is a schematic structural diagram of a mobility management function entity in an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 19 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a system for network registration in the embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

The terms "first," "second," "third," "fourth," and the like in the description and in the claims of the present application and in the drawings described above, if any, are used for distinguishing between similar elements and not necessarily for describing a particular sequential or chronological order. It will be appreciated that the data so used may be interchanged under appropriate circumstances such that the embodiments described herein may be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated or described herein. Furthermore, the terms "comprises," "comprising," and "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, system, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of steps or elements is not necessarily limited to those steps or elements expressly listed, but may include other steps or elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus.

It should be understood that the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, for example: a global system for mobile communication (GSM) system, a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) system, a Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) system, a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), a long term evolution (long term evolution, LTE) system, a Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) system, a Time Division Duplex (TDD) system, a universal mobile telecommunications system (universal mobile telecommunications system, UMTS), a Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) communication system, or a fifth-generation mobile telecommunications technology (5-generation, 5G), and so on, which are specific examples of the embodiments and are not limited in this application.

Referring to fig. 1, fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a 5G core network in an embodiment of the present application, where, as shown in the figure, a UE establishes a communication connection with a RAN through a Uu interface, and the RAN is responsible for radio access of the UE. The AMF establishes a communication connection with the RAN through an N2 interface, and may be used to manage procedures related to UE mobility. A Session Management Function (SMF) establishes a communication connection with the RAN through an N3 interface, and the SMF may be used to manage a flow related to a UE session. A User Plane Function (UPF) establishes a communication connection with the RAN through an N3 interface, and the UPF is responsible for transmitting a data packet, that is, receiving the data packet sent by the UE through the RAN first, and then transmitting the data packet to a Data Network (DN), or receiving the data packet from the DN, then transmitting the data packet to the RAN, and then transmitting the data packet to the UE through the RAN.

The 5G core network introduces a structure of Network Slices (NS), each NS may provide a specific service for a specific user. An NS is an NSI if it is implemented in a network deployment. Wherein one NS may implement multiple NSIs. A UE may use multiple NSIs simultaneously, these NSIs may share RAN and AMF, while SMF and UPF are network elements specific to NSI.

The NS may be understood as a set of logical network functions supporting communication service requirements of a specific usage scenario or business model, which may be regarded as a series of sub-functions (network sub-functions) decomposed from network functions (network functions) under an Evolved Packet Core (EPC) of a core packet network, based on the implementation of services by a physical infrastructure. It can be seen that network slicing is an end-to-end solution that can be applied not only to the core network but also to the RAN.

The NS considers the problem from the perspective of a service layer and an infrastructure layer. The service layer describes the system architecture from a logical level, consisting of network functions and connections between functions, which are typically defined in software packages, where templates are provided that define deployment and operational requirements. The infrastructure layer describes from the physical level the network elements and resources needed to maintain a network slice running, including computing resources (e.g., servers in a data center) and network resources (e.g., aggregation switches, edge routers, cables, etc.).

It is understood that NS can be divided into 2 slices. The first is an independent slice, that is, a slice with independent functions, which includes a control plane, a user plane, and various service function modules, and provides independent end-to-end private network services or part of specific function services for a specific user group. The second is a shared slice, the resources of which are commonly used by various independent slices, and the function provided by the shared slice can be end-to-end or part of the shared function.

When the network selects the slice, the requested NSSAI reported by the UE is referred to, and one NSSAI is a set of multiple single network slice selection information (S-NSSAI). An S-NSSAI contains slice type, service type and other distinguishing information.

The network slicing essentially divides a physical network of an operator into a plurality of virtual networks, and each virtual network is divided according to different service requirements, such as time delay, bandwidth, security, reliability and the like, so as to flexibly cope with different network application scenarios. Specifically, a 5G network will mainly deal with three types of scenarios: mobile broadband, large-scale internet of things, and mission-critical type internet of things. The requirements of the three application scenarios on network services are different.

For mobile broadband, the requirements on network bandwidth and rate are high for applications such as ultra-high-definition video, holographic technology, augmented reality, virtual reality and the like. For large-scale internet of things, a large number of internet of things sensors are deployed in the fields of measurement, construction, agriculture, logistics, smart cities, families and the like, and the sensors are very dense and large in scale, most of the sensors are static, and requirements on time delay and mobility are not high. For the mission-critical internet of things, the system is mainly applied to the fields of unmanned driving, internet of vehicles, automatic factories, telemedicine and the like, and requires ultralow time delay and high reliability. Therefore, a physical network needs to be sliced into a plurality of virtual networks according to different service requirements, such as a smart phone slicing network, an automatic driving slicing network, a large-scale internet of things slicing network and the like.

The network may pre-configure NSSAI supported by the network on the SIM card of the UE, that is, configured NSSAI. When the UE initially registers to the network, the UE selects part or all of S-NSSAIs from the configured NSSAIs to form a requested NSSAI and sends the requested NSSAI to the network, and when the UE successfully registers, the network sends the allowed NSSAI to the UE. an allowed NSSAI is the intersection of a requested NSSAI, a UE-subscribed NSSAI, and an AMF-provided NSSAI.

Since the allowed NSSAI is the intersection of the requested NSSAI of the UE, the NSSAI in the subscription information, and the NSSAI provided by the AMF, there may be NSSAI that the current AMF can support and NSSAI belonging to the subscription information of the UE, and there may be neither allowed NSSAI nor available NSSAI, so that the UE cannot use these omitted NSIs, thereby reducing the practicability and feasibility of the scheme. The present application therefore proposes a method of network registration so that the UE can use these missed NSIs.

Referring to fig. 2, an embodiment of a method for network registration in the embodiment of the present application includes:

101. the UE sends a registration message to the AMF so that the AMF receives the registration message sent by the UE, wherein the registration message comprises NSSAI requested by the UE;

in this embodiment, the UE first initiates an initial registration, that is, the UE sends a registration message to the AMF, where the registration message may be a non-access stratum (NAS) message. The NSSAI requested by the UE, i.e., the NSSAI currently required by the UE, is also included in the registration message.

102. The AMF sends a registration acceptance message to the UE so that the UE receives the registration acceptance message sent by the AMF, wherein the registration acceptance message comprises a first NSSAI, a second NSSAI and a third NSSAI, the first NSSAI indicates the NSSAI provided by the AMF and used by the UE at the same time in the NSSAI requested by the UE in the current RA, the second NSSAI indicates the NSSAI provided by the AMF and allowed to be used by the UE in the current RA, but not provided by the AMF, and the third NSSAI indicates the NSSAI provided by the AMF and allowed to be used by the UE in the current RA.

In this embodiment, the AMF receives a registration message sent by the UE, and acquires an NSSAI requested by the UE from the registration message. The AMF determines a first NSSAI, a second NSSAI and a third NSSAI according to the NSSAI requested by the UE, and then the AMF sends a registration acceptance message to the UE, wherein the registration acceptance message carries the first NSSAI, the second NSSAI and the third NSSAI determined by the AMF. These three NSSAIs will be described separately below.

For convenience of introduction, please refer to fig. 3, and fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the first NSSAI in the present embodiment, where as shown, the first NSSAI is an intersection portion between a UE-subscribed NSSAI, a UE-requested NSSAI, and an nsf-provided NSSAI provided by the AMF. The NSSAI requested by the UE is specifically an NSSAI requested by the UE in the current RA, and the NSSAI subscribed by the UE is specifically an NSSAI that can be used by the UE and a network agreement.

For convenience of introduction, please refer to fig. 4, and fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the second NSSAI in the present embodiment, where as shown, the second NSSAI is an intersection portion between the NSSAI subscribed by the UE and the NSSAI allowed by the PLMN serving the UE in the current RA of the UE, that is, a subset of the NSSAI subscribed by the UE, but does not include the NSSAI supported by the AMF that is providing the service. That is, the second NSSAI indicates an NSSAI that the UE is allowed to use within the current RA but that the AMF does not provide,

for convenience of introduction, please refer to fig. 5, fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the third NSSAI in the present application, and as shown in the figure, the third NSSAI is an intersection between the UE-subscribed NSSAI and the nsf self-supported NSSAI.

Optionally, referring to fig. 6, fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of a third NSSAI in the embodiment of the present application, and as shown in the figure, the third NSSAI may also be obtained by removing the first NSSAI from the intersection between the UE-subscribed NSSAI and the AMF-supported NSSAI.

After the UE receives the registration accept message sent by the AMF, the required NSSAI may also be selected according to requirements. If the UE needs to use the S-NSSAI in the first NSSAI, the UE may directly initiate a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session establishment request, and carry the S-NSSAI needed by the UE in the PDU session establishment request, so that the UE may establish a session using a network slice corresponding to the first NSSAI.

In addition, if the S-NSSAI that the UE needs to use belongs to the second NSSAI or belongs to the third NSSAI, the UE initiates the registration procedure to the RAN again, and after the registration is successful, the UE can use the S-NSSAI that belongs to the second NSSAI or belongs to the third NSSAI.

For convenience of understanding, how the UE performs network registration will be described in the following with a specific application program, please refer to fig. 7, where fig. 7 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a method for network registration in an application scenario of the present application, specifically:

in step 201, the UE carries an NAS message in Radio Resource Control (RRC) information, where the NAS message is a registration message. When the UE initiates initial registration, the UE carries the NSSAI requested by the UE in the RRC message and the NAS message, and it can be understood that the NSSAI requested by the UE belongs to a subset of the NSSAI preconfigured by the UE. The NSSAI pre-configured by the UE refers to that the network configures NSSAI supported by the network in advance in a SIM card or a device of the UE. In the present application, the RRC message may also be Access Stratum (AS) message.

In step 202, the RAN receives the RRC message and parses the RRC message to obtain the NSSAI requested by the UE, and the RAN selects an appropriate AMF according to the NSSAI requested by the UE, which is referred to as AMF a.

In step 203, the RAN forwards the registration message received from the UE to the AMF a that the RAN has selected, wherein the registration message still carries the NSSAI preconfigured by the UE.

In step 204, the AMF a requests slice selection data from the UDM for requesting NSSAI signed by the UE from the UDM.

In step 205, the UDM replies slice selection data to the AMF a according to the request sent to the AMF a, where the slice selection data includes the NSSAI subscribed by the UE.

In step 206, the first NSSAI and the second NSSAI may be obtained in two ways.

Specifically, in the first mode, the AMF a may use an intersection of an NSSAI supported by the AMF a, an NSSAI subscribed by the UE, and an NSSAI requested by the UE as the first NSSAI, and send a slice selection request to a network slice selection device (NSSF), where the slice selection request includes the NSSAI subscribed by the UE. The NSSF takes the intersection of the NSSAI signed by the UE and the NSSAI supported by the PLMN in the current RA as a second NSSAI, and sends the second NSSAI to the AMF A through the slice selection response message.

The second way is that the AMF a sends the NSSAI subscribed by the UE and the NSSAI requested by the UE to the NSSF, then the NSSF uses an intersection of the NSSAI supported by the AMF a, the NSSAI subscribed by the UE and the NSSAI requested by the UE as a first NSSAI, the NSSF uses an intersection of the NSSAI subscribed by the UE and the NSSAI supported by the PLMN in the current RA as a second NSSAI, and sends the first NSSAI and the second NSSAI to the AMF a through a slice selection response message.

The AMF A takes the intersection as the third NSSAI according to the NSSAI signed by the UE and the NSSAI supported by the UE, or the third NSSAI can only comprise the NSSAI which takes the intersection and removes the first NSSAI. In addition, AMF a may allocate a 5G temporary identity, such as a 5G-globally unique temporary UE identity (GUTI) or a 5G-s (temporary mobile subscriber identity, TMSI), to the UE.

In step 207, the AMF a sends a registration accept message to the UE, and carries the first NSSAI, the second NSSAI, and the third NSSAI in the registration accept message. And after receiving the registration acceptance message, the UE returns a registration completion message to the AMF A, and accordingly, the network registration process is completed.

When the S-NSSAI that the UE needs to use belongs to the first NSSAI, the UE may directly initiate a PDU session establishment request, and carry the S-NSSAI in the PDU session establishment request. And when the S-NSSAI required to be used by the UE belongs to the third NSSAI, the UE needs to initiate a registration process, add the S-NSSAI into the NSSAI requested by the UE, and carry the 5G temporary identifier of the UE in the RRC information. And when the S-NSSAI required to be used by the UE belongs to the second NSSAI, the UE needs to initiate a registration process, the S-NSSAI is added into the NSSAI requested by the UE, the RRC information does not carry the 5G temporary identification of the UE, and the RAN replaces the UE with the UE to select a new AMF according to the NSSAI requested by the UE because the RAN does not have the 5G temporary identification of the UE.

Referring to fig. 8, another embodiment of the method for network registration in the embodiment of the present application includes:

301. RAN receives an access layer message sent by UE, wherein the access layer message comprises a registration message which comprises network slice selection auxiliary information NSSAI requested by the UE;

in this embodiment, first, the UE sends an access stratum message to the RAN, where the AS message includes an NAS message, the NAS message is a registration message, and the registration message includes an NSSAI requested by the UE. The NAS message is a non-access stratum message.

Specifically, the NSSAI requested by the UE may include a fourth NSSAI and a fifth NSSAI, where the fourth NSSAI indicates the NSSAI of the network slice for which the UE has established the session, and the fifth NSSAI indicates the UE to add the requested NSSAI.

302. The RAN sends a registration message to the AMF, wherein the registration message comprises NSSAI requested by the UE;

in this embodiment, after receiving the access stratum message, the RAN further sends a registration message to the AMF, where the registration message includes an NSSAI requested by the UE, and specifically may include a fourth NSSAI and a fifth NSSAI.

After receiving the access stratum message sent by the UE, the RAN parses the fourth NSSAI and the fifth NSSAI from the access stratum message. Since the NSSAI that the UE wants to use cannot be supported by the current AMF, i.e. the fifth NSSAI is a subset of the second NSSAI, the UE does not include the 5G-GUTI or 5G-S-TMSI in the access stratum message, and therefore the RAN needs to select another supportable AMF for the UE based on the fourth NSSAI and the fifth NSSAI.

Specifically, the present application introduces two ways of determining the AMF, the first way is that if there is an AMF that supports both the fourth NSSAI and the fifth NSSAI, the RAN determines the AMF as the AMF to which the UE is about to perform network registration. The second way is that if there is no AMF supporting the fourth NSSAI and the fifth NSSAI, the RAN preferentially selects the AMF supporting the fifth NSSAI, and determines the AMF as the AMF to which the UE is to perform network registration.

303. The AMF sends a registration acceptance message to the RAN, wherein the registration acceptance message comprises a first NSSAI, a second NSSAI and a third NSSAI, the first NSSAI indicates the NSSAI provided by the AMF which is used by the UE at the same time in the NSSAI requested by the UE in the current RA, the second NSSAI indicates the NSSAI which is allowed to be used by the UE in the current RA but not provided by the AMF, and the third NSSAI indicates the NSSAI provided by the AMF which is used by the UE in the current RA;

in this embodiment, after receiving the registration message sent by the RAN, the AMF obtains the fourth NSSAI and the fifth NSSAI requested by the UE from the registration message. The AMF determines the first NSSAI, the second NSSAI and the third NSSAI according to the fourth NSSAI and the fifth NSSAI requested by the UE, and then the AMF sends a registration acceptance message to the RAN, wherein the first NSSAI, the second NSSAI and the third NSSAI determined by the AMF are carried in the registration acceptance message. These three NSSAIs will be described separately below.

304. And the RAN sends a registration acceptance message to the UE, wherein the registration acceptance message carries the first NSSAI, the second NSSAI and the third NSSAI.

In this embodiment, the RAN may further send a registration accept message carrying the first NSSAI, the second NSSAI, and the third NSSAI to the UE.

After the UE receives the registration accept message sent by the AMF through the RAN, the required NSSAI may also be selected as required. If the UE needs to use the S-NSSAI in the first NSSAI, the UE may directly initiate a PDU session establishment request, and the PDU session establishment request carries the S-NSSAI required by the UE, so that the UE may establish a session using a network slice corresponding to the first NSSAI.

In the technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present application, a RAN receives an access stratum message sent by a UE, where the access stratum message includes a registration message, and the registration message includes network slice selection assistance information NSSAI requested by the UE, then the RAN sends the registration message to an AMF, and finally the RAN receives a registration acceptance message sent by the AMF, where the registration acceptance message includes a first NSSAI, a second NSSAI, and a third NSSAI. In this way, if the NSSAI required by the UE can be supported by the AMF but does not exist in the first NSSAI and the second NSSAI, the third NSSAI may be determined according to the NSSAI supported by the AMF, so that the UE may obtain a complete NSSAI, and may use the omitted NSI, thereby improving the practicability and feasibility of the scheme.

For convenience of understanding, please refer to fig. 9, where fig. 9 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of a network registration method in an application scenario of the present application, and specifically, the method includes:

in step 401, the UE wants to use the network slice in the second nsai (i.e. available nsai), and the AMF a in the current RA does not support the network slice, so the UE initiates a registration procedure, and the UE knows that AMF reselection is necessary, and therefore does not include the 5G temporary identity (e.g. 5G-GUTI or 5G-S-TMSI) of the UE in the RRC message, so that the RAN reselects a new AMF.

In step 402, the UE carries an NAS message in the RRC message, where the NAS message is a registration message. When the UE initiates the initial registration, the UE registration message carries a fifth NSSAI additionally requested by the UE. The fifth NSSAI refers to an NSI that the UE needs to increase usage, wherein the S-NSSAI in the fifth NSSAI belongs to the second NSSAI, but does not belong to the third NSSAI. The RRC message also carries a fourth NSSAI, which is an NSSAI currently used by the UE and includes an S-NSSAI for the UE to currently establish a PDU session.

In step 403, after receiving the RRC message, the RAN cannot find the AMF a corresponding to the UE because the 5G temporary identifier of the UE is not obtained from the RRC message. Then, the RAN needs to select an AMF that can satisfy both the fourth NSSAI and the fifth NSSAI according to the fourth NSSAI and the fifth NSSAI. If AMFs supporting both the fourth NSSAI and the fifth NSSAI cannot be found, AMFs capable of supporting the fifth NSSAI are preferentially selected. To this end, the RAN finds a new AMF, AMF B.

In step 404, the RAN forwards the received registration request to AMF B, where the registration request still carries the fourth NSSAI and the fifth NSSAI.

In step 405, AMF B obtains a context of the UE from AMF a, where the context includes a first NSSAI previously allocated to the UE and an NSSAI (i.e., a fourth NSSAI) for which a PDU session has been established.

In step 406, AMF B updates the UDM with the AMF currently serving the UE.

In step 407, AMF B takes the collection of the fourth NSSAI and the fifth NSSAI as the NSSAI requested by the UE, and then may obtain the first NSSAI and the second NSSAI in two ways.

Specifically, in the first mode, AMF B may use an intersection of an NSSAI supported by self, an NSSAI subscribed by the UE, and an NSSAI requested by the UE as the first NSSAI, and send a slice selection request to a network slice selection device (NSSF), where the slice selection request includes the NSSAI subscribed by the UE. The NSSF takes the intersection of the NSSAI signed by the UE and the NSSAI supported by the PLMN in the current RA as a second NSSAI, and sends the second NSSAI to the AMF B through the slice selection response message.

The second way is that AMF B sends the NSSAI subscribed by UE and the NSSAI requested by UE to NSSF, then NSSF uses the intersection of the NSSAI supported by AMF B, the NSSAI subscribed by UE and the NSSAI requested by UE as the first NSSAI, NSSF uses the intersection of the NSSAI subscribed by UE and the NSSAI supported by PLMN in the current RA as the second NSSAI, and sends the first NSSAI and the second NSSAI to AMF B through slice selection response message.

And the AMF B takes the intersection as a third NSSAI according to the NSSAI signed by the UE and the NSSAI supported by the UE, or the third NSSAI can only comprise the NSSAI which takes the intersection and removes the first NSSAI. In addition, AMF B may assign a new 5G temporary identity, such as 5G-GUTI or 5G-S-TMSI, to the UE.

In step 408, the AMF B sends a registration accept message to the UE, and carries the first NSSAI, the second NSSAI, and the third NSSAI in the registration accept message. And after receiving the registration acceptance message, the UE returns a registration completion message to the AMF B, and accordingly, the network registration process is completed.

When the S-NSSAI that the UE needs to use belongs to the first NSSAI, the UE may directly initiate a PDU session establishment request, and carry the S-NSSAI in the PDU session establishment request. When the S-NSSAI required to be used by the UE belongs to the third NSSAI, the UE needs to initiate a registration procedure, add the S-NSSAI to the NSSAI requested by the UE, and carry a 5G temporary identifier (e.g., 5G-GUTI or 5G-S-TMSI) in the RRC message. And when the S-NSSAI required to be used by the UE belongs to the second NSSAI, the UE needs to initiate a registration process, the S-NSSAI is added into the NSSAI requested by the UE, the RRC information does not carry the 5G temporary identifier, and the RAN selects a new AMF for the UE according to the NSSAI requested by the UE because the RAN does not have the 5G temporary identifier.

Referring to fig. 10, a UE 50 according to an embodiment of the present application includes:

a sending module 501, configured to send a registration message to a mobility management function entity AMF, where the registration message includes network slice selection assistance information NSSAI requested by the UE;

a receiving module 502, configured to receive a registration accept message sent by the AMF, where the registration accept message includes a first NSSAI, a second NSSAI, and a third NSSAI, the first NSSAI indicates the nsfai provided by the AMF and used by the UE in the NSSAI requested by the UE in the current registration area RA, the second NSSAI indicates the NSSAI allowed to be used by the UE in the current RA but not provided by the AMF, and the third NSSAI indicates the NSSAI provided by the AMF and used by the UE in the current RA.

In this embodiment, the sending module 501 sends a registration message to a mobility management function entity AMF, where the registration message includes network slice selection assistance information NSSAI requested by the UE, and the receiving module 502 receives a registration accept message sent by the AMF, where the registration accept message includes a first NSSAI, a second NSSAI, and a third NSSAI, the first NSSAI indicates the NSSAI provided by the AMF and used by the UE at the same time in the NSSAI requested by the UE in a current registration area RA, the second NSSAI indicates the NSSAI provided by the AMF and not used by the UE in the current RA, and the third NSSAI indicates the NSSAI provided by the AMF and used by the UE in the current RA.

In the technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present application, a UE is provided, where the UE first sends a registration message to an AMF, where the registration message includes network slice selection assistance information NSSAI requested by the UE, and then the UE may receive a registration acceptance message sent by the AMF, where the registration acceptance message includes a first NSSAI, a second NSSAI, and a third NSSAI, the first NSSAI indicates an NSSAI provided by the AMF and used by the UE at the same time in an NSSAI requested by the UE in a current RA, the second NSSAI indicates an NSSAI provided by the AMF and not provided by the UE in the current RA, and the third NSSAI indicates an NSSAI provided by the AMF and used by the UE in the current RA. In this way, if the NSSAI required by the UE can be supported by the AMF but does not exist in the first NSSAI and the second NSSAI, the third NSSAI may be determined according to the NSSAI supported by the AMF, so that the UE may obtain a complete NSSAI, and may use the omitted NSI, thereby improving the practicability and feasibility of the scheme.

Optionally, on the basis of the embodiment corresponding to fig. 10, in another embodiment of the UE 50 provided in the embodiment of the present application, the NSSAI requested by the UE includes a fourth NSSAI and a fifth NSSAI, where the fourth NSSAI indicates an NSSAI of a network slice in which the UE has established a session, and the fifth NSSAI indicates that the UE adds the requested NSSAI.

Secondly, in this embodiment of the present application, if the UE wants to use a network slice in the second NSSAI and the current AMF does not support the network slice, the UE re-initiates the registration request, and carries the fourth NSSAI and the fifth NSSAI in the NSSAI requested by the UE, and selects an appropriate AMF for network registration according to the fourth NSSAI and the fifth NSSAI. Through the method, the UE can acquire the new network slice example which is allowed to be used by the network, and the establishment of the subsequent session is ensured, so that the feasibility and the practicability of the scheme are improved.

Optionally, on the basis of the embodiment corresponding to fig. 10, referring to fig. 11, in another embodiment of the UE provided in the embodiment of the present application, the UE 50 further includes:

an establishing module 503, configured to establish a session using the network slice corresponding to the first NSSAI after the receiving module 502 receives the registration accept message sent by the AMF.

In this embodiment, after the UE receives the registration accept message sent by the AMF, the network slice corresponding to the first NSSAI may be further used, so as to improve the practicability and operability of the scheme.

Optionally, on the basis of the embodiment corresponding to fig. 10, in another embodiment of the UE 50 provided in this embodiment of the present application, the sending module 501 is further configured to initiate a registration procedure again if the nsai to be used by the UE belongs to the second nsai or the third nsai after the receiving module 502 receives the registration acceptance message sent by the AMF.

In this embodiment, after the UE receives the registration accept message sent by the AMF, the UE may further use the network slice corresponding to the second NSSAI or the third NSSAI, so as to improve the practicability and operability of the scheme.

Having introduced the UE in the present application, the RAN corresponding to an embodiment of the present application will be described in detail below, with reference to fig. 12, where a RAN 60 in the embodiment of the present application includes:

a receiving module 601, configured to receive an access stratum message sent by a user equipment UE, where the access stratum message includes a registration message, and the registration message includes network slice selection auxiliary information NSSAI requested by the UE;

a sending module 602, configured to send the registration message to the AMF;

the receiving module 601 is further configured to receive a registration accept message sent by the AMF, where the registration accept message includes a first NSSAI, a second NSSAI, and a third NSSAI, the first NSSAI indicates an NSSAI provided by the AMF and used by the UE at the same time in an NSSAI requested by the UE in a current registration area RA, the second NSSAI indicates an NSSAI allowed to be used by the UE in the current RA but not provided by the AMF, and the third NSSAI indicates an NSSAI provided by the AMF and used by the UE in the current RA.

In this embodiment, the receiving module 601 receives an access stratum message sent by a user equipment UE, where the access stratum message includes a registration message, the registration message includes network slice selection assistance information NSSAI requested by the UE, the sending module 602 sends the registration message to an AMF, and the receiving module 601 receives a registration acceptance message sent by the AMF, where the registration acceptance message includes a first NSSAI, a second NSSAI, and a third NSSAI, the first NSSAI indicates an NSSAI provided by the AMF and used by the UE at the same time in an NSSAI requested by the UE in a current registration area RA, the second NSSAI indicates an NSSAI allowed to be used by the UE but not provided by the AMF in the current RA, and the third NSSAI indicates an NSSAI provided by the AMF and used by the UE in the current RA.

In the technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present application, a RAN is provided, where the RAN first receives an access stratum message sent by a UE, where the access stratum message includes a registration message, and the registration message includes network slice selection assistance information NSSAI requested by the UE, then the RAN sends the registration message to an AMF, and finally the RAN receives a registration acceptance message sent by the AMF, where the registration acceptance message includes a first NSSAI, a second NSSAI, and a third NSSAI. In this way, if the NSSAI required by the UE can be supported by the AMF but does not exist in the first NSSAI and the second NSSAI, the third NSSAI may be determined according to the NSSAI supported by the AMF, so that the UE may obtain a complete NSSAI, and may use the omitted NSI, thereby improving the practicability and feasibility of the scheme.

Optionally, on the basis of the embodiment corresponding to fig. 12, in another embodiment of the RAN 60 provided in the embodiment of the present application, the NSSAI requested by the UE includes a fourth NSSAI and a fifth NSSAI, where the fourth NSSAI indicates an NSSAI of a network slice in which the UE has established a session, and the fifth NSSAI indicates that the UE adds the requested NSSAI.

Optionally, on the basis of the embodiment corresponding to fig. 12, referring to fig. 13, in another embodiment of the RAN provided in the embodiment of the present application, the RAN 60 further includes:

a selecting module 603, configured to select the AMF that supports the fourth NSSAI and the fifth NSSAI after the receiving module 601 receives an access stratum message sent by the UE.

In this embodiment, after receiving the access stratum message sent by the UE, the RAN selects an AMF that supports both the fourth NSSAI and the fifth NSSAI, and then the UE performs network registration with the AMF. Through the above manner, the RAN can select the AMF meeting the UE requirement for the UE when the UE changes the RA, thereby improving the feasibility and operability of the scheme.

Optionally, referring to fig. 13 again on the basis of the embodiment corresponding to fig. 12, in another embodiment of the RAN provided in the embodiment of the present application, the RAN 60 further includes:

a selecting module 603, configured to, after the receiving module 601 receives an access stratum message sent by the UE, preferentially select an AMF that supports the fifth NSSAI if there is no AMF that supports both the fourth NSSAI and the fifth NSSAI.

In this embodiment, after receiving the access stratum message sent by the UE, if there is no AMF that supports both the fourth NSSAI and the fifth NSSAI in the current RA, the RAN may preferentially select the AMF that supports the fifth NSSAI, where the fifth NSSAI is an NSSAI newly applied by the UE. Through the above manner, the RAN can select the AMF meeting the UE requirement for the UE when the UE changes the RA, thereby improving the feasibility and operability of the scheme.

Having introduced the UE and RAN in the present application, the AMF according to an embodiment of the present application will be described in detail below, referring to fig. 14, where an AMF 70 in the embodiment of the present application includes:

a receiving module 701, configured to receive a registration message sent by a user equipment UE, where the registration message includes network slice selection assistance information NSSAI requested by the UE;

a sending module 702, configured to send a registration accept message to the UE, where the registration accept message includes a first NSSAI, a second NSSAI, and a third NSSAI, the first NSSAI indicates the nsfai provided by the AMF and used by the UE simultaneously in the NSSAI requested by the UE in the current registration area RA, the second NSSAI indicates the NSSAI allowed to be used by the UE but not provided by the AMF in the current RA, and the third NSSAI indicates the nsfai provided by the AMF and used by the UE in the current RA.

In this embodiment, the receiving module 701 receives a registration message sent by a user equipment UE, where the registration message includes network slice selection assistance information NSSAI requested by the UE, and the sending module 702 sends a registration acceptance message to the UE, where the registration acceptance message includes a first NSSAI, a second NSSAI, and a third NSSAI, the first NSSAI indicates an NSSAI provided by the AMF and used by the UE at the same time in an NSSAI requested by the UE in a current registration area RA, the second NSSAI indicates an NSSAI provided by the AMF and allowed to be used by the UE in the current RA, and the third NSSAI indicates an NSSAI provided by the AMF and used by the UE in the current RA.

In the technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present application, an AMF is provided, and first receives a registration message sent by a UE, where the registration message includes an NSSAI requested by the UE, and then the AMF may send a registration acceptance message to the UE, where the registration acceptance message includes a first NSSAI, a second NSSAI, and a third NSSAI, the first NSSAI indicates an NSSAI provided by an AMF that is simultaneously used by the UE in an NSSAI requested by the UE in a current RA, the second NSSAI indicates an NSSAI that is allowed to be used by the UE but not provided by the AMF in the current RA, and the third NSSAI indicates an NSSAI provided by the AMF used by the UE in the current RA. In this way, if the NSSAI required by the UE can be supported by the AMF but does not exist in the first NSSAI and the second NSSAI, the third NSSAI may be determined according to the NSSAI supported by the AMF, so that the UE may obtain a complete NSSAI, and may use the omitted NSI, thereby improving the practicability and feasibility of the scheme.

Optionally, on the basis of the embodiment corresponding to fig. 14, in another embodiment of the AMF 70 provided in the embodiment of the present application, the NSSAI requested by the UE includes a fourth NSSAI and a fifth NSSAI, where the fourth NSSAI indicates an NSSAI of a network slice in which the UE has established a session, and the fifth NSSAI indicates that the UE adds the requested NSSAI.

Optionally, on the basis of the embodiment corresponding to fig. 14, referring to fig. 15, in another embodiment of the RAN provided in the embodiment of the present application, the AMF 70 further includes:

a support module 703 configured to support the fourth NSSAI and the fifth NSSAI.

Again, in this embodiment, the AMF selected by the RAN may support both the fourth NSSAI and the fifth NSSAI. Through the method, the selected AMF can meet the requirements of the UE, so that the feasibility and operability of the scheme are improved.

Optionally, referring to fig. 15 again on the basis of the embodiment corresponding to fig. 14, in another embodiment of the RAN provided in the embodiment of the present application, the AMF 70 further includes:

a support module 703 configured to preferentially support the fifth NSSAI.

In this embodiment, if there is no AMF that supports both the fourth NSSAI and the fifth NSSAI in the current RA, the RAN preferentially selects the AMF that supports the fifth NSSAI. Through the method, the selected AMF can meet the requirements of the UE, so that the feasibility and operability of the scheme are improved.

Referring to fig. 16, fig. 16 is a schematic diagram of a structure of a UE according to an embodiment of the present invention, and the processor may include a circuit for audio/video and logic functions of the UE. For example, a processor may be comprised of a digital signal processor device, a microprocessor device, an analog to digital converter, a digital to analog converter, and so forth. The control and signal processing functions of the mobile device may be allocated between these devices according to their respective capabilities. The processor may also include an internal voice coder, an internal data modem, and the like. Further, the processor may include functionality to operate one or more software programs, which may be stored in the memory. In general, the processor and stored software instructions may be configured to cause the UE to perform actions. For example, the processor can operate a connectivity program.

The UE may also include a user interface, which may include, for example, an earphone or speaker, a microphone, an output device (e.g., a display), an input device, and/or the like, operatively coupled to the processor. In this regard, the processor may include user interface circuitry configured to control at least some functions of one or more elements of the user interface (such as a speaker, microphone, display, etc.). The processor and/or user interface circuitry comprising the processor may be configured to control one or more functions of one or more elements of the user interface through computer program instructions (e.g., software and/or firmware) stored in a memory accessible to the processor. Although not shown, the UE may include a battery for powering various circuits associated with the mobile device, such as circuits that provide mechanical vibration as a detectable output. The input means may comprise a device allowing the apparatus to receive data, such as a keypad, a touch display, a joystick and/or at least one other input device, etc.

The UE may also include one or more connection circuitry modules for sharing and/or obtaining data. For example, the UE may include a short-range radio frequency, RF, transceiver and/or detector so that data may be shared with and/or obtained from electronic devices in accordance with RF techniques. The UE may include other short-range transceivers, such as, for example, an Infrared (IR) transceiver, a usage transceiver, a wireless Universal Serial Bus (USB) transceiver, and so forth. The bluetooth transceiver is capable of operating in accordance with bluetooth low energy or ultra low energy technology. In this regard, the UE, and more particularly the short-range transceiver, is capable of transmitting and/or receiving data to and/or from electronic equipment in the vicinity of the apparatus (such as within 10 meters). Although not shown, the UE is capable of transmitting and/or receiving data to and/or from electronic devices in accordance with various wireless networking techniques, including: Wi-Fi (wireless-fidelity), Wi-Fi low power, Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) technologies, such as Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 technologies, IEEE 802.15 technologies, IEEE 802.16 technologies, and so forth.

The UE may include a memory, such as a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM), that may store information elements related to the mobile subscriber. In addition to the SIM, the apparatus may also include other removable and/or fixed memory. The UE may include volatile memory and/or non-volatile memory. For example, volatile memory can include Random Access Memory (RAM), including dynamic RAM and/or static RAM, on-chip and/or off-chip cache memory, and the like. Non-volatile memory, which may be embedded and/or removable, may include, for example, read-only memory, flash memory, magnetic storage devices, such as hard disks, floppy disk drives, magnetic tape, etc., optical disk drives and/or media, non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM), and/or the like. Similar to volatile memory, non-volatile memory may include a cache area for temporary storage of data. At least a portion of the volatile and/or nonvolatile memory may be embedded in the processor. The memories may store one or more software programs, instructions, information blocks, data, and/or the like, which may be used by the UE to perform the functions of the mobile terminal. For example, the memories can include an identifier, such as an International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) code, capable of uniquely identifying the UE.

The processor is used for executing the following steps:

and receiving a registration acceptance message sent by the AMF, wherein the registration acceptance message comprises a first NSSAI, a second NSSAI and a third NSSAI, the first NSSAI indicates the NSSAI provided by the AMF used by the UE at the same time in the NSSAI requested by the UE in the current RA, the second NSSAI indicates the NSSAI provided by the AMF and allowed to be used by the UE in the current RA, and the third NSSAI indicates the NSSAI provided by the AMF used by the UE in the current RA.

Optionally, the processor is further configured to perform the steps of:

and if the NSSAI to be used by the UE belongs to the second NSSAI or the third NSSAI, the UE initiates the registration process again.

Fig. 17 is a schematic diagram of a wireless access node 800, which may have a relatively large difference due to different configurations or performances, and may include one or more Central Processing Units (CPUs) 822 (e.g., one or more processors) and a memory 832, and one or more storage media 830 (e.g., one or more mass storage devices) for storing applications 842 or data 844. Memory 832 and storage medium 830 may be, among other things, transient or persistent storage. The program stored in the storage medium 830 may include one or more modules (not shown), each of which may include a sequence of instructions for operating on the radio access node. Further, a central processor 822 may be arranged in communication with the storage medium 830 to carry out a series of instruction operations in the storage medium 830 on the radio access node 800.

Wireless access node 800 may also include one or more power supplies 826, one or more wired or wireless network interfaces 850, one or more input-output interfaces 858, and/or one or more operating systems 841, such as Windows Server, Mac OS XTM, UnixTM, LinuxTM, FreeBSDTM, etc.

The steps performed by the radio access node in the above embodiments may be based on the radio access node structure shown in fig. 17.

CPU 822 is operative to perform the following steps:

sending a registration message to the AMF;

CPU 822 is also operative to perform the steps of:

AMFs supporting a fourth NSSAI and a fifth NSSAI are selected.

CPU 822 is also operative to perform the steps of:

if there is no AMF supporting both the fourth NSSAI and the fifth NSSAI, the RAN preferentially selects the AMF supporting the fifth NSSAI.

Fig. 18 is a schematic structural diagram of a mobility management function entity according to an embodiment of the present application, where the mobility management function entity 900 may have a relatively large difference due to different configurations or performances, and may include one or more CPUs 922 (e.g., one or more processors) and a memory 932, one or more storage media 930 (e.g., one or more mass storage devices) for storing applications 942 or data 944. Memory 932 and storage media 930 can be, among other things, transient storage or persistent storage. The program stored on the storage medium 930 may include one or more modules (not shown), each of which may include a series of instruction operations for the mobility management function. Still further, the central processor 922 may be configured to communicate with the storage medium 930, and execute a series of instruction operations in the storage medium 930 on the mobility management functional entity 900.

The mobility management function 900 may also include one or more power supplies 926, one or more wired or wireless network interfaces 950, one or more input/output interfaces 958, and/or one or more operating systems 941, such as Windows Server, Mac OS XTM, UnixTM, LinuxTM, FreeBSDTM, etc.

The steps performed by the mobility management function entity in the above embodiment may be based on the mobility management function entity structure shown in fig. 18.

The CPU 922 is configured to perform the following steps:

and sending a registration acceptance message to the UE, wherein the registration acceptance message comprises a first NSSAI, a second NSSAI and a third NSSAI, the first NSSAI indicates the NSSAI provided by the AMF which is simultaneously used by the UE in the NSSAI requested by the UE in the current RA, the second NSSAI indicates the NSSAI which is allowed to be used by the UE but not provided by the AMF in the current RA, and the third NSSAI indicates the NSSAI provided by the AMF which is used by the UE in the current RA.

The CPU 922 is also configured to perform the following steps:

supporting a fourth NSSAI and a fifth NSSAI.

The CPU 922 is also configured to perform the following steps:

the fifth NSSAI is preferentially supported.

Referring to fig. 19, fig. 19 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a system for network registration in the embodiment of the present application, and as shown in the figure, the system includes a UE 1001, a RAN 1002, and an AMF 1003;

receiving, by a RAN, an access stratum message sent by a UE, where the access stratum message includes a registration message, and the registration message includes network slice selection assistance information NSSAI requested by the UE;

the RAN sends the registration message to an AMF, wherein the registration message comprises NSSAI requested by the UE;

the AMF sending a registration accept message to the RAN, wherein the registration accept message includes a first NSSAI indicating an AMF-provided NSSAI that the UE simultaneously uses in an NSSAI requested by the UE in a current RA, a second NSSAI indicating an NSSAI that the UE is allowed to use but not provided by the AMF in the current RA, and a third NSSAI indicating the AMF-provided NSSAI that the UE uses in the current RA;

the RAN sends the registration accept message to the UE.

In the technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present application, a system for network registration is provided, where first, a UE sends a registration message to an AMF, where the registration message includes network slice selection assistance information NSSAI requested by the UE, and then the UE may receive a registration acceptance message sent by the AMF, where the registration acceptance message includes a first NSSAI, a second NSSAI, and a third NSSAI, the first NSSAI indicates an NSSAI provided by the AMF and used by the UE at the same time in an NSSAI requested by the UE in a current RA, the second NSSAI indicates an NSSAI provided by the AMF and used by the UE but not provided by the AMF in the current RA, and the third NSSAI indicates an NSSAI provided by the AMF and used by the UE in the current RA. In this way, if the NSSAI required by the UE can be supported by the AMF but does not exist in the first NSSAI and the second NSSAI, the third NSSAI may be determined according to the NSSAI supported by the AMF, so that the UE may obtain a complete NSSAI, and may use the omitted NSI, thereby improving the practicability and feasibility of the scheme.

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 application 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 on a computer readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer readable storage medium to another, for example, from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wire (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 a computer can store or a data storage device, such as a server, a data center, etc., that is integrated with one or more 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.

It is clear to those skilled in the art that, for convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the above-described systems, apparatuses and units may refer to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and are not described herein again.

In the several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed system, apparatus and method may be implemented in other manners. For example, the above-described apparatus embodiments are merely illustrative, and for example, the division of the units is only one logical division, and other divisions may be realized in practice, for example, a plurality of units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be omitted, or not executed. In addition, the shown or discussed mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection may be an indirect coupling or communication connection through some interfaces, devices or units, and may be in an electrical, mechanical or other form.

The units described as separate parts may or may not be physically separate, and parts displayed as units may or may not be physical units, may be located in one place, or may be distributed on a plurality of network units. Some or all of the units can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of the embodiment.

In addition, functional units in the embodiments of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist alone physically, or two or more units are integrated into one unit. The integrated unit can be realized in a form of hardware, and can also be realized in a form of a software functional unit.

The integrated unit, if implemented in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as a stand-alone product, may be stored in a computer readable storage medium. Based on such understanding, the technical solution of the present application may be substantially implemented or contributed to by the prior art, or all or part of the technical solution may be embodied in a software product, which is stored in a storage medium and includes instructions for causing a computer device (which may be a personal computer, a server, or a network device) to execute all or part of the steps of the method according to the embodiments of the present application. And the aforementioned storage medium includes: various media that can store program codes, such as a usb disk, a removable hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a RAM, a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

The above embodiments are only used for illustrating the technical solutions of the present application, and not for limiting the same; although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, it should be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that: the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments may still be modified, or some technical features may be equivalently replaced; and such modifications or substitutions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the corresponding technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application.

Claims

1. A method of network registration, comprising:

user Equipment (UE) sends a registration message to a mobile management function (AMF), wherein the registration message comprises network slice selection auxiliary information NSSAI requested by the UE;

receiving, by the UE, a registration accept message sent by the AMF, where the registration accept message includes a first NSSAI, a second NSSAI, and a third NSSAI, the first NSSAI indicates the AMF-provided NSSAI that is simultaneously used by the UE in the NSSAIs requested by the UE in the current registration area RA, the second NSSAI indicates the NSSAI that is allowed to be used by the UE in the current RA but is not provided by the AMF, and the third NSSAI indicates the AMF-provided NSSAI that is allowed to be used by the UE in the current RA;

the first NSSAI is NSSAI signed by the UE, and the intersection between the NSSAI requested by the UE and the NSSAI supported by the AMF;

the second NSSAI is an intersection of an NSSAI that the PLMN serving the UE allows the UE to use within the current RA and an NSSAI that the UE has subscribed to, and the second NSSAI does not include the AMF-supported NSSAI that is providing service;

the third NSSAI is an intersection between the NSSAI subscribed to by the UE and the AMF-self-supported NSSAI.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the UE-requested NSSAI comprises a fourth NSSAI indicating the NSSAI of the network slice for which the UE has established the session, and a fifth NSSAI indicating the UE-added requested NSSAI.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein after the UE receives the registration accept message sent by the AMF, the method further comprises:

and the UE establishes a session by using the network slice corresponding to the first NSSAI.

4. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein after the UE receives the registration accept message sent by the AMF, the method further comprises:

and if the NSSAI to be used by the UE belongs to the second NSSAI or the third NSSAI, the UE initiates a registration process again.

5. A method of network registration, comprising:

a Radio Access Node (RAN) receives an access layer message sent by User Equipment (UE), wherein the access layer message comprises a registration message which comprises Network Slice Selection Auxiliary Information (NSSAI) requested by the UE;

the RAN sends the registration message to an AMF;

receiving, by the RAN, a registration accept message sent by the AMF, wherein the registration accept message includes a first NSSAI, a second NSSAI, and a third NSSAI, the first NSSAI indicates the AMF-provided NSSAI simultaneously used by the UE in the NSSAI requested by the UE in a current registration area RA, the second NSSAI indicates the NSSAI allowed to be used by the UE in the current RA but not provided by the AMF, and the third NSSAI indicates the AMF-provided NSSAI allowed to be used by the UE in the current RA;

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the UE-requested NSSAI comprises a fourth NSSAI indicating the NSSAI of the network slice for which the UE has established the session, and a fifth NSSAI indicating the UE-added requested NSSAI.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein after the radio access node RAN receives an access stratum message sent by a User Equipment (UE), the method further comprises:

the RAN selects the AMF that supports the fourth NSSAI and the fifth NSSAI.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein after the radio access node RAN receives an access stratum message sent by a User Equipment (UE), the method further comprises:

9. A method of network registration, comprising:

a mobile management function entity AMF receives a registration message sent by user equipment UE, wherein the registration message comprises network slice selection auxiliary information NSSAI requested by the UE;

the AMF sends a registration acceptance message to the UE, wherein the registration acceptance message comprises a first NSSAI, a second NSSAI and a third NSSAI, the first NSSAI indicates the AMF-provided NSSAI which is used by the UE simultaneously in the NSSAI requested by the UE in the current registration area RA, the second NSSAI indicates the NSSAI which is allowed to be used by the UE but not provided by the AMF in the current RA, and the third NSSAI indicates the AMF-provided NSSAI which is allowed to be used by the UE in the current RA;

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the UE-requested NSSAI comprises a fourth NSSAI indicating the NSSAI of the network slice for which the UE has established a session, and a fifth NSSAI indicating the UE-added requested NSSAI.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the AMF supports the fourth NSSAI and the fifth NSSAI.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the AMF preferentially supports the fifth NSSAI.

13. A User Equipment (UE), comprising:

a sending module, configured to send a registration message to a mobility management function entity AMF, where the registration message includes network slice selection assistance information NSSAI requested by the UE;

a receiving module, configured to receive a registration accept message sent by the AMF, where the registration accept message includes a first NSSAI, a second NSSAI, and a third NSSAI, the first NSSAI indicates an NSSAI provided by the AMF and used by the UE simultaneously in an NSSAI requested by the UE in a current registration area RA, the second NSSAI indicates an NSSAI allowed to be used by the UE in the current RA but not provided by the AMF, and the third NSSAI indicates an NSSAI provided by the AMF and allowed to be used by the UE in the current RA;

14. The UE of claim 13, wherein the UE-requested NSSAI comprises a fourth NSSAI and a fifth NSSAI, wherein the fourth NSSAI indicates an NSSAI of a network slice for which the UE has established a session, and wherein the fifth NSSAI indicates an NSSAI for which the UE adds a request.

15. The UE of claim 13 or 14, wherein the UE further comprises:

16. The UE according to claim 13 or 14, wherein the sending module is further configured to, after the receiving module receives the registration accept message sent by the AMF, initiate the registration procedure again if the NSSAI to be used by the UE belongs to the second NSSAI or the third NSSAI.

17. A radio access node, RAN, comprising:

a receiving module, configured to receive an access stratum message sent by a user equipment UE, where the access stratum message includes a registration message, and the registration message includes network slice selection auxiliary information NSSAI requested by the UE;

a sending module, configured to send the registration message to the AMF;

the receiving module is further configured to receive a registration accept message sent by the AMF, where the registration accept message includes a first NSSAI, a second NSSAI, and a third NSSAI, the first NSSAI indicates the nsf provided by the AMF and used by the UE in the NSSAI requested by the UE in the current registration area RA, the second NSSAI indicates the NSSAI allowed to be used by the UE in the current RA but not provided by the AMF, and the third NSSAI indicates the nsf provided by the AMF and allowed to be used by the UE in the current RA;

18. The RAN of claim 17, wherein the UE-requested NSSAI comprises a fourth NSSAI and a fifth NSSAI, wherein the fourth NSSAI indicates an NSSAI of a network slice for which the UE has established a session, and wherein the fifth NSSAI indicates an NSSAI for which the UE adds a request.

19. The RAN of claim 18, wherein the RAN further comprises:

a selecting module, configured to select the AMF that supports the fourth NSSAI and the fifth NSSAI after the receiving module receives an access stratum message sent by a user equipment UE.

20. The RAN of claim 18, wherein the RAN further comprises:

a selecting module, configured to preferentially select the AMF that supports the fifth NSSAI if there is no AMF that supports both the fourth NSSAI and the fifth NSSAI after the receiving module receives the registration message sent by the UE.

21. A mobility management function, AMF, comprising:

a sending module, configured to send a registration accept message to the UE, where the registration accept message includes a first NSSAI, a second NSSAI, and a third NSSAI, the first NSSAI indicates an nsfai provided by the AMF and used by the UE simultaneously in an NSSAI requested by the UE in a current registration area RA, the second NSSAI indicates an NSSAI allowed to be used by the UE in the current RA but not provided by the AMF, and the third NSSAI indicates an NSSAI provided by the AMF and allowed to be used by the UE in the current RA;

22. The AMF of claim 21, wherein the UE-requested NSSAI comprises a fourth NSSAI and a fifth NSSAI, wherein the fourth NSSAI indicates the NSSAI of the network slice in which the UE has established the session, and wherein the fifth NSSAI indicates the UE adds the requested NSSAI.

23. The AMF of claim 22, further comprising:

a support module to support the fourth NSSAI and the fifth NSSAI.

24. The AMF of claim 22, further comprising:

a support module configured to preferentially support the fifth NSSAI.

25. A User Equipment (UE), comprising: a memory, a transceiver, a processor, and a bus system;

wherein the memory is to store programs and instructions;

the processor is used for executing the program in the memory;

the processor is configured to call program instructions in the memory to perform the method of any of claims 1 to 4.

26. A radio access node, RAN, comprising: a memory, a transceiver, a processor, and a bus system;

wherein the memory is to store programs and instructions;

the processor is used for executing the program in the memory;

the processor is configured to call program instructions in the memory to perform the method of any one of claims 5 to 8.

27. A mobility management function, AMF, comprising: a memory, a transceiver, a processor, and a bus system;

wherein the memory is to store programs and instructions;

the processor is used for executing the program in the memory;

the processor is configured to call program instructions in the memory to perform the method of any of claims 9 to 12.

28. A system for network registration is characterized in that the system comprises User Equipment (UE), a Radio Access Node (RAN) and a mobile management function (AMF);

the UE is the UE of any of claims 13 to 16 above;

the RAN being the RAN of any one of claims 17 to 20;

the AMF of any one of claims 21 to 24.