CN111885656A

CN111885656A - Network switching method and equipment

Info

Publication number: CN111885656A
Application number: CN202010645037.5A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 龙青良; 田元兵; 刘光海; 许国平; 李�一; 肖天; 薛永备
Original assignee: China United Network Communications Group Co Ltd
Current assignee: China United Network Communications Group Co Ltd
Priority date: 2020-07-07
Filing date: 2020-07-07
Publication date: 2020-11-03

Abstract

The invention discloses a network switching method and equipment, relates to the field of communication, and is used for solving the problem that a sharing party 5G terminal is long in time for accessing a sharing 5G network. The network switching method comprises the following steps: the first network equipment firstly acquires the capability information or the operator identification reported by the terminal. And then, the first network equipment indicates the terminal to be connected with the second network equipment according to the capability information or the operator identification reported by the terminal. Wherein the capability information is used to indicate the capability of the terminal. Compared with the existing network switching method, the network switching method provided by the invention has the advantages that the 5G terminal of the sharing party does not need to be accessed into the 4G base station of the sharing party in the sharing area firstly and then accessed into the 4G base station of the construction party in the sharing area. But directly accessing the 4G base station of the construction party in the sharing area, thereby omitting the process that the 5G terminal of the sharing party accesses the 4G base station of the sharing party, reducing the time required by the 5G terminal of the sharing party to access the sharing 5G network and solving the problem that the time required by the 5G terminal of the sharing party to access the sharing 5G network is long.

Description

Network switching method and equipment

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of communications, and in particular, to a network switching method and device.

Background

Multiple operators perform the co-construction and sharing cooperation of the 5th generation mobile communication technology (5G) network, which can effectively reduce the construction and operation and maintenance costs of the 5G network. An operator which builds the 5G base station in the sharing area and shares the 5G network is a construction party, and an operator which only shares the 5G network is a sharing party.

At present, most of domestic operators adopt 5G non-independent Networking (NSA). In this networking manner, for the sharing party's 5G terminal, the 4th generation mobile communication technology (4G) base station of the sharing party needs to be accessed first, then the 4G base station of the sharing party needs to be accessed, and then the sharing 5G network needs to be accessed.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention provides a network switching method and equipment, which are used for solving the problem that a sharing party 5G terminal is long in time for accessing a sharing 5G network.

In order to achieve the purpose, the embodiment of the invention adopts the following technical scheme:

in a first aspect, the present invention provides a network switching method, where the network switching method includes: the first network equipment firstly acquires the capability information or the operator identification reported by the terminal. And then, the first network equipment indicates the terminal to be connected with the second network equipment according to the capability information or the operator identification reported by the terminal. Wherein the capability information is used to indicate the capability of the terminal.

According to the network switching method provided by the invention, the first network equipment determines that the terminal is the 5G terminal through the capability information reported by the terminal, and then indicates the 5G terminal to access the 4G base station of the construction party in the shared area. Compared with the existing network switching method, the 5G terminal of the sharing party does not need to access the 4G base station of the sharing party in the sharing area firstly and then access the 4G base station of the establishing party in the sharing area. But directly accessing the 4G base station of the construction party in the sharing area, thereby omitting the process that the 5G terminal of the sharing party accesses the 4G base station of the sharing party, reducing the time required by the 5G terminal of the sharing party to access the sharing 5G network and solving the problem that the time required by the 5G terminal of the sharing party to access the sharing 5G network is long.

In a second aspect, the present invention provides a first network device, comprising: the device comprises an acquisition unit and an indication unit. The acquiring unit is used for acquiring first information reported by the terminal, wherein the first information is capability information or an operator identifier, and the capability information is used for indicating the capability of the terminal. The indicating unit is used for indicating the terminal to be connected with the second network equipment according to the first information.

In a third aspect, the present invention provides a computer readable storage medium storing one or more programs, the one or more programs comprising instructions, which when executed by a first network device, cause the first network device to perform the network handover method as described in the first aspect.

In a fourth aspect, the present invention provides a computer program product comprising instructions which, when run on a first network device, cause the first network device to perform the network handover method according to the first aspect.

In a fifth aspect, the present invention provides a first network device, comprising: a processor and a memory, the memory for storing a program, the processor calling the program stored by the memory to perform the network switching method as described in the first aspect.

Reference may be made to the detailed description of the first aspect and various implementations thereof for specific descriptions of the second to fifth aspects and various implementations thereof in the present disclosure; moreover, the beneficial effects of the second aspect to the fifth aspect and the various implementation manners thereof may refer to the beneficial effect analysis of the first aspect and the various implementation manners thereof, and are not described herein again.

These and other aspects of the invention will be more readily apparent from the following description.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings needed to be used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below, and it is obvious that the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present invention, and it is obvious for those skilled in the art to obtain other drawings based on these drawings without creative efforts.

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 2 is a first schematic structural diagram of a first network device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a network handover method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of network handover according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of a first network device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention, and it is obvious that the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, and not all of the embodiments. All other embodiments, which can be derived by a person skilled in the art from the embodiments given herein without making any creative effort, shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

The term "and/or" herein is merely an association describing an associated object, meaning that three relationships may exist, e.g., a and/or B, may mean: a exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone.

The terms "first" and "second" and the like in the description of the present invention and the drawings are used for distinguishing different objects or for distinguishing different processes for the same object, and are not used for describing a specific order of the objects.

Furthermore, the terms "comprising" and "having" and any variations thereof as referred to in the description of the invention are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions. For example, a process, method, system, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of steps or elements is not limited to only those steps or elements listed, but may alternatively include other steps or elements not listed, or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus.

It should be noted that in the description of the embodiments of the present invention, words such as "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations or illustrations. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplary" or "e.g.," an embodiment of the present invention is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments or designs. Rather, use of the word "exemplary" or "such as" is intended to present concepts related in a concrete fashion.

In the description of the present invention, the meaning of "a plurality" means two or more unless otherwise specified.

First, the basic concepts of some terms or techniques related to the present invention will be briefly described and explained.

The measurement event refers to the following 7 measurement events defined in the measurement protocol of Long Term Evolution (LTE):

the a1 event is used to indicate that the signal quality of the serving cell is above a first threshold. The a1 event is primarily used to turn off inter-frequency or inter-system measurements.

The a2 event is used to indicate that the serving cell signal quality is below a second threshold. The a2 event is primarily used to initiate inter-frequency or inter-system measurements.

The a3 event is used to indicate that the signal quality of the neighbor cell is higher than the signal quality of the serving cell by a predetermined offset, which may be a negative value. A3 is mainly used for switching decision of mobility management, and a suitable cell is selected from adjacent cells.

The a4 event is used to indicate that the signal quality of the neighbor cell is above a third threshold. The a4 event is mainly used for handover decision of mobility management, and selects a suitable cell among neighboring cells.

The a5 event is equivalent to the a2 event and the a4 event being satisfied simultaneously, i.e., indicating that the signal quality of the serving cell is below the second threshold and the signal quality of the neighbor cell is above the third threshold. The a5 event is mainly used for handover decision of mobility management, and selects a suitable cell among neighboring cells.

The B1 event is used to indicate that the signal quality of the inter-system neighbor cell is above a fourth threshold. The B1 event is mainly used for handover decision of mobility management, selecting a suitable cell among neighboring cells.

The B2 event is equivalent to the a2 event and the B1 event being satisfied simultaneously, i.e., indicating that the signal quality of the serving cell is below the second threshold and the signal quality of the inter-system neighbor cell is above the fourth threshold. The B2 event is mainly used for handover decision of mobility management, and selects a suitable cell among neighbor cells of the heterogeneous system.

Non-standalone Networking (NSA) is a networking mode. Two major networking modes, namely, Stand Alone (SA) and NSA, are defined for the New Radio (NR) of the fifth generation mobile communication technology (5G). The independent networking mode of the 5G NR requires deployment of an end-to-end all-new network of the 5G system, including a new access network (e.g., nrgbb) and a new core network (next generation core), and the 5G system independently carries a complete Control Plane (CP) and a User Plane (UP), so that the 5G system can operate without depending on a Long Term Evolution (LTE) system and independently provides communication services for users. In the non-independent networking mode, the 5G system needs to rely on the existing LTE system, that is, the NR system and the LTE system need to cooperate with each other to work, for example, a multi-access technology dual connectivity (MR-DC) mode is adopted, and the NR base station and the LTE base station are simultaneously connected with a user to provide a communication service for the user together.

Option (Option)3x is a networking approach based on NSA. The Option 3x networking mode is similar to the Option 3 networking mode, and comprises the following steps: a terminal, an LTE base station and an NR base station in communication with the terminal, and an Evolved Packet Core (EPC) in communication with the LTE base station. In the Option 3 networking mode, the data splitting point is located at the LTE base station, that is, the user plane data of the terminal interacts with the EPC through the LTE base station. The control plane anchor point is located in the LTE base station, that is, the control plane signaling of the terminal is transmitted through the LTE base station. Compared with the Option 3 networking mode, the LTE base station and the EPC in the Option 3x networking mode do not have user plane connection. However, there is a user plane connection between the EPC and the NR base station. The data split point is at NR. Further, the data splitting point is located at NR. I.e. for the downlink: the EPC can transmit downlink user plane data sent to the terminal to the NR base station, and then the NR base station transmits the downlink user plane data to the terminal, or the NR base station transmits the downlink user plane data to the terminal through the LTE base station. For the uplink: uplink user plane data of the terminal can be transmitted to the EPC through the NR base station. Uplink user plane data can also be transmitted to the NR base station, and the NR base station transmits the uplink user plane data to the EPC through the LTE base station. The control plane anchor point is still located at the LTE base station.

The embodiment of the invention provides a network switching method which can be applied to a communication system. Fig. 1 shows a structure of the communication system. The communication system may include: terminal 100, network device 200. The terminal 100 may be connected with the network device 200.

The terminal 100 includes at least: a 5G terminal 101 of a first operator, a 4G terminal 102 of the first operator, a 5G terminal 103 of a second operator, and a 4G terminal 104 of the second operator. The first operator is a sharing party of the shared area, and the second operator is a contractor of the shared area.

The network device 200 includes at least: the 4G network device 201 of the first operator in the unshared area, the 4G network device 202 of the first operator in the shared area, the 4G network device 203 of the second operator in the unshared area, the 5G network device 204 of the second operator in the shared area, and the 4G network device 205 of the second operator in the shared area, where the 4G network device 205 of the second operator in the shared area may also be referred to as a shared 4G anchor network device of the second operator or a shared 4G anchor base station of the second operator. The first network device is configured to perform a network handover method as described below. The first network device 300 may be any one of a 4G network device 201 of a first operator in a non-shared area, a 4G network device 202 of the first operator in a shared area, a 4G network device 203 of a second operator in the non-shared area, a 5G network device 204 of the second operator in the shared area, and a 4G network device 205 of the second operator in the shared area. The 4G network device 205 of the second operator in the shared area may include a 4G anchor network device and a 4G non-anchor network device, or may include only a 4G anchor network device.

Fig. 2 shows a hardware configuration of the first network device 300 described above. As shown in fig. 2, the first network device 300 may include at least one processor 301, a communication line 302, a memory 303, and a communication interface 304.

In particular, the processor 301 is configured to execute computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 303, thereby implementing steps or actions of the terminal.

The processor 301 may be a chip. For example, the Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) may be an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a system on chip (SoC), a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a Network Processor (NP), a digital signal processing circuit (DSP), a Microcontroller (MCU), a programmable logic controller (PLD) or other integrated chips.

A communication line 302 for transmitting information between the processor 301 and the memory 303.

A memory 303 for storing computer executable instructions and controlled by the processor 301.

The memory 303 may be separate and coupled to the processor via the communication line 302. The memory 303 may be either volatile memory or nonvolatile memory, or may include both volatile and nonvolatile memory. The non-volatile memory may be a read-only memory (ROM), a Programmable ROM (PROM), an Erasable PROM (EPROM), an electrically Erasable EPROM (EEPROM), or a flash memory. Volatile memory can be Random Access Memory (RAM), which acts as external cache memory. By way of example, and not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as Static Random Access Memory (SRAM), Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM), Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory (SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM, Enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM). It should be noted that the memory of the systems and apparatus described herein is intended to comprise, without being limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

A communication interface 304 for communicating with other devices or a communication network. The communication network may be an ethernet, a Radio Access Network (RAN), or a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN).

The following describes a network handover method according to an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the communication system shown in fig. 1 and the first network device 300 shown in fig. 2.

As shown in fig. 3, a network switching method provided in the embodiment of the present invention includes:

s301, the first network device 300 obtains first information reported by the terminal.

The first information is capability information or operator identification, and the capability information is used for indicating the capability of the terminal. For example, the capability information is used to indicate that the terminal is a 5G terminal.

For S301, there are mainly the following scenarios:

in a first scenario, the first network device 300 is a 4G network device 201 of a first operator in a non-shared area, and the first information is capability information.

In scenario two, the first network device 300 is a 4G network device 205 of a second operator in the shared area. The first information is an operator identification.

In a third scenario, the first network device 300 is a 5G network device 204 of a second operator in the shared area, and the first information is capability information.

In a fourth scenario, the first network device 300 is a 4G network device 202 of a first operator in the shared area, and the first information is capability information or an operator identifier.

In a fifth scenario, the first network device 300 is a 4G network device 203 of a second operator in the non-shared area, and the first information is capability information.

S302, the first network device 300 instructs the terminal to connect to the second network device according to the first information.

For ease of understanding, S302 is described below with reference to fig. 4, and fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of network handover provided by the present invention.

For the first scenario, S302 specifically includes:

if the capability information indicates that the terminal is a 4G terminal, the first network device 300 indicates that the terminal is connected to the 4G network device 202 of the first operator in the shared area. Corresponding to 401 in fig. 4.

If the capability information indicates that the terminal is a 5G terminal, the first network device 300 indicates that the terminal is connected to the 4G network device 205 of the second operator in the shared area. Corresponding to 403 in fig. 4.

It should be noted that, when the 4G network device 205 of the second operator in the shared area includes a 4G anchor network device and a 4G non-anchor network device, if the capability information indicates that the terminal is a 5G terminal, the first network device 300 indicates that the terminal is connected to the 4G anchor network device in the 4G network device 205 of the second operator.

Specifically, there are at least two implementation manners for instructing the terminal to connect to the 4G network device 205 of the second operator in the shared area.

In a first implementation manner, the first network device 300 sends a first measurement message to the terminal, which is used to instruct the terminal to start a first measurement. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the first measurement message and starts the first measurement, and when the first signal quality is lower than the first threshold and the second signal quality is higher than the second threshold, the terminal reports a first measurement report indicating that the first signal quality is lower than the first threshold and the second signal quality is higher than the second threshold. Correspondingly, the first network device 300 obtains the first measurement report reported by the terminal, and sends a first access message for instructing the terminal to connect to the 4G network device 205 of the second operator in the shared area to the terminal. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the first access message and connects to the 4G network device 205 of the second operator in the shared area according to the indication. Wherein the first measurement is to measure a first signal quality and a second signal quality, the first signal quality is a signal strength between the terminal and the first network device, and the second signal quality is a signal strength between the terminal and the 4G network device 205 of the second operator in the shared area.

In a second implementation, the first network device 300 sends a first measurement message to the terminal, which is used to instruct the terminal to start the first measurement. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the first measurement message and starts the first measurement, and when the first signal quality is lower than the first threshold, the terminal reports a first measurement report for indicating that the first signal quality is lower than the first threshold. Correspondingly, the first network device 300 obtains a first measurement report reported by the terminal and sends a second measurement message for instructing the terminal to start a second measurement to the terminal. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the second measurement message and starts the second measurement, and when the second signal quality is higher than the second threshold, the terminal reports a second measurement report for indicating that the second signal quality is higher than the second threshold. Correspondingly, the first network device 300 obtains the second measurement report reported by the terminal, and sends a first access message for instructing the terminal to connect to the 4G network device 205 of the second operator in the shared area to the terminal. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the first access message and connects to the 4G network device 205 of the second operator in the shared area according to the indication. Wherein the first measurement is to measure a first signal quality, which is the signal strength between the terminal and the first network device 300. The second measurement is a measurement of a second signal quality, which is a signal strength between the terminal and the 4G network device 205 of the second operator in the shared area.

In practical application, for scenario one above. The 4G network device 201 of the first operator may configure a peripheral shared area 4G network device as a neighboring cell. Specifically, the 4G network device 202 of the first operator in the shared area is configured as a co-frequency neighboring cell, and the 4G network device 205 of the second operator in the shared area is configured as a inter-frequency neighboring cell. After the configuration is completed, the first network device 300 may trigger the handover of the 4G terminal from the 4G network device 201 of the first operator in the non-shared area to the 4G network device 202 of the first operator in the shared area in an intra-frequency handover manner by using an a3 event based on coverage. The first network device 300 may also employ a coverage-based "a 2+ a 5" event to trigger a handover of the 5G terminal from the 4G network device 201 of the first operator in the non-shared area to the 4G network device 205 of the second operator in the shared area in an inter-frequency handover manner.

For the second scenario, S302 specifically includes:

if the operator identifier is the identifier of the first operator, the first network device 300 instructs the terminal to connect to the 4G network device 201 of the first operator in the non-shared area. Corresponding to 404 in fig. 4.

Specifically, there are at least two implementation manners for instructing the terminal to connect to the 4G network device 201 of the first operator in the non-shared area.

In a first implementation manner, the first network device 300 sends a first measurement message to the terminal, which is used to instruct the terminal to start a first measurement. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the first measurement message and starts the first measurement, and when the first signal quality is lower than the first threshold and the second signal quality is higher than the second threshold, the terminal reports a first measurement report indicating that the first signal quality is lower than the first threshold and the second signal quality is higher than the second threshold. Correspondingly, the first network device 300 obtains the first measurement report reported by the terminal, and sends a first access message for instructing the terminal to connect to the 4G network device 201 of the first operator in the non-shared area to the terminal. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the first access message and connects to the 4G network device 201 of the first operator in the non-shared area according to the indication. Wherein the first measurement is to measure a first signal quality and a second signal quality, the first signal quality is a signal strength between the terminal and the first network device 300, and the second signal quality is a signal strength between the terminal and the 4G network device 201 of the first operator in the unshared area.

In a second implementation, the first network device 300 sends a first measurement message to the terminal, which is used to instruct the terminal to start the first measurement. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the first measurement message and starts the first measurement, and when the first signal quality is lower than the first threshold, the terminal reports a first measurement report for indicating that the first signal quality is lower than the first threshold. Correspondingly, the first network device 300 obtains a first measurement report reported by the terminal and sends a second measurement message for instructing the terminal to start a second measurement to the terminal. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the second measurement message and starts the second measurement, and when the second signal quality is higher than the second threshold, the terminal reports a second measurement report for indicating that the second signal quality is higher than the second threshold. Correspondingly, the first network device 300 obtains the second measurement report reported by the terminal, and sends a first access message for instructing the terminal to connect to the 4G network device 201 of the first operator in the non-shared area to the terminal. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the first access message and connects to the 4G network device 201 of the first operator in the non-shared area according to the indication. Wherein the first measurement is to measure a first signal quality, which is the signal strength between the terminal and the first network device 300. The second measurement is to measure a second signal quality, which is the signal strength between the terminal and the 4G network device 201 of the first operator in the unshared area.

If the operator identifier is the identifier of the second operator, the first network device 300 instructs the terminal to connect to the 4G network device 203 of the second operator in the non-shared area. Corresponding to 406 and 408 in fig. 4.

In practical application, for the above scenario two. The 4G network device 205 of the second operator in the shared area may configure the peripheral unshared area 4G network device as a neighboring area. Specifically, the 4G network device 203 of the second operator in the non-shared area is configured as a co-frequency neighboring cell, and the 4G network device 201 of the first operator in the non-shared area is configured as a inter-frequency neighboring cell. Or configuring the 4G network equipment with the operator identifier of the second operator in the non-shared region as a co-frequency adjacent cell, and configuring the 4G network equipment with the operator identifier of the first operator in the non-shared region as a pilot frequency adjacent cell. Or configuring the 4G network equipment with the PLMN identification of the second operator in the non-shared area as a co-frequency adjacent cell, and configuring the 4G network equipment with the PLMN identification of the first operator in the non-shared area as a pilot frequency adjacent cell. After the configuration is completed, the first network device 300 may employ a coverage-based "a 2+ a 5" event to trigger handover of the terminal of the first operator from the 4G network device 205 of the second operator in the shared area to the 4G network device 201 of the first operator in the unshared area in an inter-frequency handover manner. The first network device 300 may also trigger a handover of the terminal of the second operator from the 4G network device 205 of the second operator in the shared area to the 4G network device 203 of the second operator in the unshared area in an intra-frequency handover manner based on the covered a3 event.

For the third scenario, S302 specifically includes:

if the capability information indicates that the terminal is a 5G terminal, the first network device 300 indicates that the terminal is connected to the 5G network device 204 of the second operator in the shared area. Corresponding to 409 and 410 in fig. 4.

The instructing the terminal to connect to the 5G network device 204 of the second operator in the shared area specifically includes: the first network device 300 transmits a first measurement message for instructing the terminal to start a first measurement to the terminal. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the first measurement message and starts the first measurement, and when the first signal quality is higher than the first threshold, the terminal reports a first measurement report for indicating that the first signal quality is higher than the first threshold. Correspondingly, the first network device 300 obtains the first measurement report reported by the terminal and sends a first access message for instructing the terminal to connect to the 5G network device 204 of the second operator in the shared area to the terminal. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the first access message and connects to the 5G network device 204 of the second operator according to the indication. Wherein the first measurement is a measurement of a first signal quality, the first signal quality being a signal strength between the terminal and the 5G network device 204 of the second operator in the shared area.

In practical application, for scenario three, the first network device 300 may issue B1 event measurement control, so that the 5G terminal measures the NR carrier signal strength. And when the signal strength of the NR carrier wave measured by the 5G terminal meets the 5G NR adding threshold, the 5G terminal reports a B1 measurement report. After receiving the B1 measurement report, the first network device 300 adds a 5G NR connection, and connects the 5G terminal with the 5G network device 204 of the second operator in the shared area.

It should be noted that, if the communication system adopts the NSA networking mode, the communication system may adopt a multi-access technology dual-connection mode, so that the 5G network device 204 of the second operator in the shared area and the 4G network device 205 of the second operator in the shared area are simultaneously connected to the terminal, and provide a communication service for the terminal together.

For the scenario four, S302 specifically is: the first network device 300 instructs the terminal to connect to the 4G network device 201 of the first operator in the unshared area according to the first information. Corresponding to 402 in fig. 4.

For the scene five, S302 specifically is: the first network device 300 instructs the terminal to connect to the 4G network device 205 of the second operator in the shared area according to the first information. Corresponding to 405 and 407 in fig. 4. It should be noted that, when the 4G network device 205 of the second operator in the shared area includes a 4G anchor network device and a 4G non-anchor network device, if the capability information indicates that the terminal is a 5G terminal, the first network device 300 indicates that the terminal is connected to the 4G anchor network device in the 4G network device 205 of the second operator in the shared area. If the capability information indicates that the terminal is a 4G terminal, the first network device 300 may indicate that the terminal is connected to a 4G anchor network device in the 4G network device 205 of the second operator in the shared area, or may indicate that the terminal is connected to a 4G non-anchor network device in the 4G network device 205 of the second operator in the shared area.

It should be noted that the 5G terminal mentioned in the embodiment of the present invention includes, but is not limited to, a 5G NSA terminal. The network device mentioned in the embodiments of the present invention includes, but is not limited to, a base station.

Through the steps (S301-S302), it can be seen that the terminal is determined to be a 5G terminal through the capability information reported by the terminal through the first network device. And then, instructing the 5G terminal to access the 4G base station of the shared area contractor. Compared with the existing network switching method, the 5G terminal of the sharing party does not need to access the 4G base station of the sharing party in the sharing area firstly and then access the 4G base station of the establishing party in the sharing area. But directly accessing the 4G base station of the construction party in the sharing area, thereby omitting the process that the 5G terminal of the sharing party accesses the 4G base station of the sharing party, reducing the time required by the 5G terminal of the sharing party to access the sharing 5G network and solving the problem that the time required by the 5G terminal of the sharing party to access the sharing 5G network is long.

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

The first network device 300 according to the above method example may perform functional module division, for example, each functional module may be divided corresponding to each function, or two or more functions may be integrated into one processing module. The integrated module can be realized in a hardware mode, and can also be realized in a software functional module mode. It should be noted that, the division of the modules in the embodiment of the present invention is schematic, and is only a logic function division, and there may be another division manner in actual implementation.

An embodiment of the present invention provides a first network device 300, configured to execute the above network handover method, as shown in fig. 5, where the first network device 300 includes: an acquisition unit 501 and a switching unit 502.

An obtaining unit 501, configured to obtain first information reported by a terminal, where the first information is capability information or an operator identifier, and the capability information is used to indicate a capability of the terminal.

A switching unit 502, configured to instruct the terminal to connect to a second network device according to the first information.

For example, in conjunction with fig. 3, the obtaining unit 501 may be configured to perform S301. The switching unit 502 may be configured to perform S302.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 2 and 5. The acquisition unit 501 and the switching unit 502 in fig. 5 call the program in the memory 303 via the communication line 302 by the processor 301 in fig. 2 to execute the above-described network switching method.

It should be understood that, in various embodiments of the present invention, the sequence numbers of the above-mentioned processes do not mean the execution sequence, and the execution sequence of each process should be determined by its function and inherent logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present invention.

Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the various illustrative elements and algorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware or combinations of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the implementation. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present invention.

It can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art that, for convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the above-described systems, devices and units may refer to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and are not described herein again.

In the embodiments provided by the present invention, it should be understood that the disclosed system, device and method can be implemented in other ways. For example, the above-described embodiments of the apparatus are merely illustrative, and for example, a division of a unit is merely a logical division, and an actual implementation may have another division, 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.

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 invention 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 above description is only for the specific embodiments of the present invention, but the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto, and any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope of the present invention are included in the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention shall be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A network switching method is applied to a first network device, and is characterized by comprising the following steps:

acquiring first information reported by a terminal, wherein the first information is capability information or operator identification, and the capability information is used for indicating the capability of the terminal;

and indicating the terminal to be connected with second network equipment according to the first information.

2. The network handover method according to claim 1, wherein the first network device is a 4G network device of a first operator in a non-shared area, the first information is capability information, and the instructing the terminal to connect to a second network device according to the first information comprises:

if the capability information indicates that the terminal is a 4G terminal, indicating that the terminal is connected with 4G network equipment of a first operator in a shared area, wherein the first operator is a sharing party of the shared area;

and if the capability information indicates that the terminal is a 5G terminal, indicating that the terminal is connected with 4G network equipment of a second operator in the shared area, wherein the second operator is a construction party of the shared area.

3. The network handover method according to claim 2, wherein the instructing the terminal to connect to the 4G network device of the second operator in the shared area comprises:

sending a first measurement message to the terminal, wherein the first measurement message is used for instructing the terminal to start a first measurement, the first measurement is measurement of a first signal quality and a second signal quality, the first signal quality is signal strength between the terminal and the first network equipment, and the second signal quality is signal strength between the terminal and 4G network equipment of a second operator in a shared area;

acquiring a first measurement report reported by the terminal, wherein the first measurement report is used for indicating that the first signal quality is lower than a first threshold value and the second signal quality is higher than a second threshold value;

and sending a first access message to the terminal, wherein the first access message is used for indicating the terminal to be connected with the 4G network equipment of a second operator in the shared area.

4. The network handover method according to claim 2, wherein the instructing the terminal to connect to the 4G network device of the second operator in the shared area comprises:

sending a first measurement message to the terminal, where the first measurement message is used to instruct the terminal to start a first measurement, the first measurement is to measure a first signal quality, and the first signal quality is a signal strength between the terminal and the first network device;

acquiring a first measurement report reported by the terminal, wherein the first measurement report is used for indicating that the first signal quality is lower than a first threshold value;

sending a second measurement message to the terminal, wherein the second measurement message is used for instructing the terminal to start a second measurement, the second measurement is to measure a second signal quality, and the second signal quality is a signal strength between the terminal and a 4G network device of a second operator in a shared area;

acquiring a second measurement report reported by the terminal, wherein the second measurement report is used for indicating that the quality of the second signal is higher than a second threshold value;

5. The network handover method according to claim 1, wherein the first network device is a 4G network device of a second operator in the shared area, the first information is an operator identifier, and the instructing the terminal to connect to the second network device according to the first information comprises:

if the operator identifier is the identifier of a first operator, indicating the terminal to connect with 4G network equipment of the first operator in the non-shared area, wherein the first operator is a sharing party of the shared area;

and if the operator identifier is the identifier of a second operator, indicating the terminal to be connected with 4G network equipment of the second operator in the non-shared area, wherein the second operator is a contractor of the shared area.

6. The network switching method according to claim 5, wherein the instructing the terminal to connect to the 4G network device of the first operator in the non-shared area comprises:

sending a first measurement message to the terminal, wherein the first measurement message is used for instructing the terminal to start a first measurement, the first measurement is measurement of a first signal quality and a second signal quality, the first signal quality is signal strength between the terminal and the first network equipment, and the second signal quality is signal strength between the terminal and 4G network equipment of a first operator in a non-shared area;

and sending a first access message to the terminal, wherein the first access message is used for indicating the terminal to be connected with the 4G network equipment of the first operator in the non-shared area.

7. The network handover method according to claim 5, wherein the instructing the terminal to connect to the 4G network device of the second operator in the non-shared area comprises:

sending a first measurement message to the terminal, wherein the first measurement message is used for instructing the terminal to start a first measurement, the first measurement is measurement of a first signal quality and a second signal quality, the first signal quality is signal strength between the terminal and the first network equipment, and the second signal quality is signal strength between the terminal and 4G network equipment of a second operator in a non-shared area;

and sending a first access message to the terminal, wherein the first access message is used for indicating the terminal to be connected with 4G network equipment of a second operator in the non-shared area.

8. The network handover method according to claim 1, wherein the first network device is a 4G network device of a second operator in a shared area, the first information is capability information, and the instructing the terminal to connect to the second network device according to the first information comprises:

and if the capability information indicates that the terminal is a 5G terminal, indicating that the terminal is connected with 5G network equipment of a second operator in the shared area, wherein the second operator is a construction party of the shared area.

9. The network handover method according to claim 8, wherein the instructing the terminal to connect to the 5G network device of the second operator in the shared area comprises:

sending a first measurement message to the terminal, wherein the first measurement message is used for indicating the terminal to start a first measurement, the first measurement is measuring a first signal quality, and the first signal quality is a signal strength between the terminal and a 5G network device of a second operator in a shared area;

acquiring a first measurement report reported by the terminal, wherein the first measurement report is used for indicating that the quality of the first signal is higher than a first threshold value;

and sending a first access message to the terminal, wherein the first access message is used for indicating the terminal to be connected with the 5G network equipment of a second operator in the shared area.

10. A first network device, comprising: an acquisition unit and an indication unit;

the acquiring unit is used for acquiring first information reported by a terminal, wherein the first information is capability information or an operator identifier, and the capability information is used for indicating the capability of the terminal;

the indicating unit is used for indicating the terminal to be connected with the second network equipment according to the first information.

11. A first network device, comprising: a processor and a memory, the memory for storing a program, the processor calling the program stored by the memory to perform the network handover method of any of claims 1-9.

12. A computer readable storage medium storing one or more programs, the one or more programs comprising instructions; the instructions, when executed by a first network device, cause the first network device to perform the network handover method of any of claims 1-9.