CN114731731A

CN114731731A - Communication method and device

Info

Publication number: CN114731731A
Application number: CN201980102038.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 应江威; 李岩; 许胜锋
Original assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Current assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Priority date: 2019-11-08
Filing date: 2019-11-08
Publication date: 2022-07-08
Anticipated expiration: 2039-11-08
Also published as: WO2021088061A1; CN114731731B

Abstract

The application provides a communication method and device. The method comprises the following steps: the second mobility management network element receives a first message from the terminal equipment, wherein the first message comprises a first identifier corresponding to a first user and a second identifier corresponding to a second user, the first message is used for indicating establishment of association between the first user and the second user, the first user corresponds to a first USIM, the second user corresponds to a second USIM, and the first USIM and the second USIM are both located in the terminal equipment; the second mobility management network element contains the context of the first user corresponding to the first identifier, and the second mobility management network element establishes association between the first user and the second user. Based on the scheme, the same mobility management network element is used for serving different users, and the mobility management network element associates different users, so that information among different users can be handed over by a network side. Therefore, the communication service experience of the user is improved.

Description

Communication method and device

Technical Field

The present application relates to the field of mobile communications technologies, and in particular, to a communication method and apparatus.

Background

A Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM) is an application for end-user identity identification, and is generally a module in a Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC). The USIM stores therein authentication, authorization, and encryption-related information of a subscriber of the wireless communication system, and the terminal apparatus accesses the wireless communication system using the USIM. In addition, the USIM may be considered as an upgraded Subscriber Identity Module (SIM), and the USIM upgrades an algorithm in terms of security, and increases an authentication function of the USIM to a network, thereby having higher security performance.

In the current communication technology, there is a need to hold multiple USIMs (i.e., multiple-Universal Subscriber Identity modules (MUSIMs)) in the same terminal equipment at the same time. In the MUSIM scenario, a user may contact different user groups respectively through multiple USIMs of the same terminal device, or perform different communication services respectively. In addition, in future enterprise scenarios, there is a strong demand for one terminal device to support multiple USIMs. There are various implementations of MUSIM, for example: the terminal equipment is provided with a plurality of card slots, and a plurality of USIMs can be installed; or, a plurality of USIMs are stored in one UICC on the terminal equipment; alternatively, multiple USIMs may be stored on the terminal device without the UICC, i.e. a soft SIM or soft USIM.

Currently, in a scenario with multiple USIMs, a network controls users corresponding to multiple USIMs in the same terminal device respectively. Since the user can only be controlled according to the information of the user corresponding to one USIM, the communication service experience of the user is poor.

Disclosure of Invention

The application provides a communication method and a communication device, which are used for improving communication service experience of a user.

In a first aspect, the present application provides a communication method, including: a second mobility management network element receives a first message from a terminal device, wherein the first message comprises a first identifier corresponding to a first user and a second identifier corresponding to a second user, the first message is used for indicating establishment of association between the first user and the second user, the first user corresponds to a first USIM, the second user corresponds to a second USIM, and the first USIM and the second USIM are both located in the terminal device; the second mobility management network element includes the context of the first user corresponding to the first identifier, and the second mobility management network element establishes association between the first user and the second user. Based on the scheme, the same AMF is used for serving different users, and the AMF associates different users, so that the information of different users can be handed over by a network side, and the information of the users can be kept synchronous. Therefore, the communication quality between the network equipment and the UE can be improved, the conflict of communication services can be avoided, and the communication service experience of a user can be improved. Further, since the information of different users is located in the same AMF, it helps to avoid the interactive signaling overhead between different AMFs in the same operator.

In a possible implementation method, the second mobility management network element establishes an association between the first user and the second user, including: the second mobility management network element stores the second identity in the context of the first user and the first identity in the context of the second user.

In one possible implementation, the context of the first user further includes one or more of: the connection management state of the first user, the service priority information of the first user and the service information of the first user; the context of the second user further includes one or more of: the connection management state of the second user, the service priority information of the second user and the service information of the second user.

In a possible implementation method, the second mobility management network element sends a second message to the terminal device, where the second message includes configuration information of the second user; the configuration information includes a second timer of the second user, and a duration of the second timer is longer than a duration of a first timer of the first user, or the configuration information includes first indication information, where the first indication information is used to indicate that the timer of the second user is turned off, or the configuration information includes a third timer of the second user and second indication information, where the second indication information is used to indicate that the third timer is invalid.

In one possible implementation, the first identifier is a first SUPI, or a first SUCI, or a first GUTI, and the second identifier is a second SUPI, or a second SUCI, or a second GUTI.

In a possible implementation method, before the second mobility management network element establishes the association between the first user and the second user, the second mobility management network element determines that the first USIM and the second USIM correspond to the same PLMN.

In a possible implementation method, the second mobility management network element performs control of the first user according to the context of the first user and the context of the second user.

In one possible implementation method, the context of the first user includes that the first user is in an idle state, and the context of the second user includes that the second user is in an idle state; the second mobility management network element performs control of the first user according to the context of the first user and the context of the second user, including: if the first user paging fails, the second mobility management network element pages the first user according to a paging strategy; the paging policy includes at least one of: the paging attempt times are less than the paging attempt times of a single USIM, and the expanded paging range is less than the expanded paging range of the single USIM; alternatively, the paging policy includes at least one of: the paging attempt times are more than that of a single USIM, and the time interval between the next paging attempt and the current paging attempt is increased.

In a possible implementation method, the context of the first user includes that the first user is in an idle state, and the context of the second user includes that the second user is in a connected state; the second mobility management network element performs control over the first user according to the context of the first user and the context of the second user, including: the second mobility management network element pages the first user according to a paging strategy, wherein the paging strategy comprises at least one of the following items: terminating paging attempts, the number of paging attempts being less than the number of paging attempts of a single USIM, the extended paging range being less than the extended paging range of a single USIM.

In a possible implementation method, the context of the first user includes that the first user is in an idle state, and the context of the second user includes that the second user is in a connected state; the second mobility management network element performs control of the first user according to the context of the first user and the context of the second user, including: if the first user fails to page, the second mobility management network element informs the terminal equipment that the first user has downlink service through the communication connection of the second user.

In one possible implementation, the context of the first user includes that the first user is in a connected state, and the context of the second user includes that the second user is in an idle state; the second mobility management network element performs control of the first user according to the context of the first user and the context of the second user, including: if the second user fails to page, the second mobility management network element notifies the terminal device of: the second user has a downlink service.

In a possible implementation method, the context of the first user includes the priority of the service to be initiated of the first user when the first user is in an idle state, and the context of the second user includes the priority of the ongoing service of the second user when the second user is in a connected state; the second mobility management network element performs control of the first user according to the context of the first user and the context of the second user, including: if the priority of the service to be initiated of the first user is lower than the priority of the ongoing service of the second user, the second mobility management network element determines not to initiate paging for the service to be initiated of the first user.

In a possible implementation method, the context of the first user includes that the first user is in a connected state, and the context of the second user includes that the second user is in an idle state;

the second mobility management network element performs control over the first user according to the context of the first user and the context of the second user, including: and the second mobility management network element sends the signaling or the control plane information of the second user to the terminal equipment through the communication connection of the first user.

In one possible implementation, the context of the first user includes that the first user is in an idle state, and the context of the second user includes that the second user is in a connected state; the second mobility management network element performs control of the first user according to the context of the first user and the context of the second user, including: and the second mobility management network element sends the signaling or the control plane information of the first user to the terminal equipment through the communication connection of the second user.

In a second aspect, the present application provides a communication method, including: a second mobility management network element receives a first message from a terminal device, wherein the first message comprises a first identifier corresponding to a first user and a second identifier corresponding to a second user, the first message is used for indicating establishment of association between the first user and the second user, the first user corresponds to a first USIM, the second user corresponds to a second USIM, and the first USIM and the second USIM are both located in the terminal device; the second mobility management network element does not contain the context of the first user corresponding to the first identifier, the second mobility management network element obtains the identifier and/or the address information of the first mobility management network element corresponding to the first identifier, and the first mobility management network element is a mobility management network element providing service for the first user; the second mobility management network element sends the first message to the first mobility management network element. Based on the scheme, the same mobility management network element is used for serving different users, and the mobility management network element is used for associating different users, so that the information of different users can be exchanged on a network side, and the information synchronization of the users is kept. Therefore, the method and the device are beneficial to improving the communication quality between the network equipment and the terminal equipment, and avoiding the conflict of communication services, thereby improving the communication service experience of users. Furthermore, since the information of different users is located in the same mobility management network element, it is helpful to avoid the interactive signaling overhead between different mobility management network elements in the same operator.

In a possible implementation method, the second mobility management network element sends, to the data management network element, a request for deregistering a second identifier corresponding to the second user, the identifier of the second mobility management network element, and/or address information.

In one possible implementation method, the establishing the association between the first user and the second user includes: the second identity is stored in the context of the first user and the first identity is stored in the context of the second user.

In a possible implementation method, before the second mobility management network element acquires the identifier and/or the address information of the first mobility management network element corresponding to the first identifier, the method further includes: and the second mobility management network element determines that the first USIM and the second USIM correspond to the same PLMN.

In a possible implementation method, the first identifier is a first user hidden identifier SUCI of the first user; the second mobility management network element obtaining the identifier and/or the address information of the first mobility management network element corresponding to the first identifier includes: the second mobility management network element determines an authentication network element and a data management network element corresponding to the first user according to the first SUCI; the second mobility management network element sends the first SUCI to the authentication network element; the second mobility management network element receiving a first SUPI of the first user from the authentication network element, the first SUPI from the data management network element; the second mobility management element sending the first SUPI to the data management element; the second mobility management network element receives the identification and/or address information of the first mobility management network element from the authentication network element.

In one possible implementation, the first identifier is a first SUCI of the first user; the second mobility management network element obtaining the identifier and/or the address information of the first mobility management network element corresponding to the first identifier includes: the second mobility management network element determines a first network element corresponding to the first user according to the first SUCI; the second mobility management network element sending the first SUCI to the first network element; the second mobility management network element receiving the identity and/or address information of the first mobility management network element from the first network element; wherein, the first network element is an authentication network element, and the identifier and/or address information of the first mobility management network element is from a data management network element corresponding to the first user; or, the first network element is a data management network element.

In a possible implementation method, the first network element is a data management network element; the second mobility management network element sending the first sui to the first network element, including: the second mobility management network element sending a registration request to the first network element, where the registration request includes the first SUCI, and the registration request is used to request that the second user be registered to the data management network element; the second mobility management network element receiving, from the first network element, the identification and/or address information of the first mobility management network element, including: the second mobility management network element receives a registration response from the first network element, the registration response including identification and/or address information of the first mobility management network element.

In one possible implementation, the first identity is a first SUPI of the first user; the second mobility management network element obtaining the identifier and/or the address information of the first mobility management network element corresponding to the first identifier includes: the second mobility management network element determines a data management network element corresponding to the first user according to the first SUPI; the second mobility management element sending the first SUPI to the data management element; the second mobility management network element receives the identification and/or address information of the first mobility management network element from the data management network element.

In one possible implementation, the sending, by the second mobility management element, the first SUPI to the data management element includes: the second mobility management element sending a registration request to the data management element, the registration request including the first SUPI, the registration request requesting registration of the second user to the data management element; the second mobility management network element receiving, from the data management network element, the identifier and/or address information of the first mobility management network element, including: the second mobility management network element receives a registration response from the data management network element, the registration response including identification and/or address information of the first mobility management network element.

In one possible implementation, the first identifier is a first GUTI of the first user; the second mobility management network element obtaining the identifier and/or the address information of the first mobility management network element corresponding to the first identifier includes: and the second mobility management network element determines the identifier and/or the address information of the first mobility management network element according to the first GUTI.

In a possible implementation method, before the sending, by the second mobility management network element, the first message to the first mobility management network element, the method further includes: and the second mobility management network element determines that the first mobility management network element meets the slicing service requirement of the second user.

In a third aspect, the present application provides a communication method, including: a first mobility management network element receives a first message, wherein the first message comprises a first identifier corresponding to a first user and a second identifier corresponding to a second user, the first user corresponds to a first USIM, the second user corresponds to a second USIM, the first USIM and the second USIM are both positioned in the terminal equipment, and the first mobility management network element is a mobility management network element for providing service for the first user; the first mobility management network element establishes association between the first user and the second user according to the first message. Based on the scheme, the same mobility management network element is used for serving different users, and the mobility management network element is used for associating different users, so that the information between different users can be exchanged on the network side, and the information synchronization of the users is kept. Therefore, the method and the device are beneficial to improving the communication quality between the network equipment and the terminal equipment, and avoiding the conflict of communication services, thereby improving the communication service experience of users. Furthermore, since the information of different users is located in the same mobility management network element, it is helpful to avoid the interactive signaling overhead between different mobility management network elements in the same operator.

In one possible implementation method, the establishing, by the first mobility management network element, an association between the first user and the second user includes: the first mobility management network element stores the second identity in the context of the first user and the first identity in the context of the second user.

In one possible implementation, the first mobility management element receives the context of the second user from a second mobility management element; or, the first mobility management network element generates the context of the second user according to the first message.

In a possible implementation method, the first mobility management network element sends a third message to the terminal device, where the third message includes configuration information of the second user; the configuration information includes a second timer of the second user, and a duration of the second timer is longer than a duration of a first timer of the first user, or the configuration information includes first indication information, where the first indication information is used to indicate that the timer of the second user is turned off, or the configuration information includes a third timer of the second user and second indication information, where the second indication information is used to indicate that the third timer is invalid.

In one possible implementation method, the receiving, by the first mobility management network element, the first message includes: the first mobility management network element receives the first message from a second mobility management network element or an access network device.

In a possible implementation method, before the first mobility management network element establishes the association between the first user and the second user according to the first message, the method further includes: and the first mobility management network element determines that the first USIM and the second USIM correspond to the same PLMN.

In a possible implementation method, the first mobility management network element performs control of the first user according to the context of the first user and the context of the second user.

In one possible implementation method, the context of the first user includes that the first user is in an idle state, and the context of the second user includes that the second user is in an idle state; the first mobility management network element performing control of the first user according to the context of the first user and the context of the second user, including: if the first user fails to page, the first mobility management network element pages the first user according to a paging strategy; the paging policy includes at least one of: the paging attempt times are less than the paging attempt times of a single USIM, and the expanded paging range is less than the expanded paging range of the single USIM; alternatively, the paging policy includes at least one of: the paging attempt times are more than that of a single USIM, and the time interval between the next paging attempt and the current paging attempt is increased.

In a possible implementation method, the context of the first user includes that the first user is in an idle state, and the context of the second user includes that the second user is in a connected state; the first mobility management network element performs control of the first user according to the context of the first user and the context of the second user, including: the first mobility management network element pages the first user according to a paging strategy, wherein the paging strategy comprises at least one of the following items: terminating paging attempts, the number of paging attempts being less than the number of paging attempts of a single USIM, the extended paging range being less than the extended paging range of a single USIM.

In a possible implementation method, the context of the first user includes that the first user is in an idle state, and the context of the second user includes that the second user is in a connected state; the first mobility management network element performing control of the first user according to the context of the first user and the context of the second user, including: if the first user fails to page, the first mobility management network element informs the terminal equipment that the first user has downlink service through the communication connection of the second user.

In a possible implementation method, the context of the first user includes that the first user is in a connected state, and the context of the second user includes that the second user is in an idle state; the first mobility management network element performs control of the first user according to the context of the first user and the context of the second user, including: if the second user fails to page, the first mobility management network element notifies the terminal device, through the communication connection of the first user, that: the second user has a downlink service.

In a possible implementation method, the context of the first user includes the priority of the service to be initiated of the first user when the first user is in an idle state, and the context of the second user includes the priority of the ongoing service of the second user when the second user is in a connected state; the first mobility management network element performing control of the first user according to the context of the first user and the context of the second user, including: if the priority of the service to be initiated of the first user is lower than the priority of the ongoing service of the second user, the first mobility management network element determines not to initiate paging for the service to be initiated of the first user.

In a possible implementation method, the context of the first user includes that the first user is in a connected state, and the context of the second user includes that the second user is in an idle state; the first mobility management network element performs control of the first user according to the context of the first user and the context of the second user, including: and the first mobility management network element sends the signaling or the control plane information of the second user to the terminal equipment through the communication connection of the first user.

In a possible implementation method, the context of the first user includes that the first user is in an idle state, and the context of the second user includes that the second user is in a connected state; the first mobility management network element performing control of the first user according to the context of the first user and the context of the second user, including: and the first mobility management network element sends the signaling or control plane information of the first user to the terminal equipment through the communication connection of the second user.

In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a communication method, including: the method comprises the steps that terminal equipment sends a first message, wherein the first message comprises a first identification corresponding to a first user and a second identification corresponding to a second user, the first message is used for indicating establishment of association between the first user and the second user, the first user corresponds to a first USIM, the second user corresponds to a second USIM, and the first USIM and the second USIM are both located at the terminal equipment; and the terminal equipment receives the second message and successfully establishes the association between the first user and the second user. Based on the scheme, the same mobility management network element is used for serving different users, and the mobility management network element is used for associating different users, so that the information of different users can be exchanged on a network side, and the information synchronization of the users is kept. Therefore, the method and the device are beneficial to improving the communication quality between the network equipment and the terminal equipment, and avoiding the conflict of communication services, thereby improving the communication service experience of users. Furthermore, since the information of different users is located in the same mobility management network element, it is helpful to avoid the interactive signaling overhead between different mobility management network elements in the same operator.

In a possible implementation method, the terminal device obtains a first GUTI of the first user; the terminal equipment acquires the identifier and/or the address information of the mobility management network element corresponding to the first user according to the first GUTI; and the terminal equipment sends the identification and/or address information of the mobility management network element corresponding to the first user.

In a possible implementation method, before the terminal device sends the first message, the method further includes: the terminal equipment determines that the first USIM and the second USIM correspond to the same PLMN.

In a possible implementation method, the second message includes configuration information of the second user; the configuration information includes a second timer of the second user, the duration of the second timer is longer than the duration of the first timer of the first user, and the terminal device sends the periodic registration request of the second user after the second timer expires.

In a possible implementation method, the second message includes configuration information of the second user; the configuration information includes first indication information, the first indication information is used for indicating that the timer of the second user is closed, and the terminal device determines not to send the periodic registration request of the second user.

In a possible implementation method, the second message includes configuration information of the second user; the terminal device starts the third timer, and determines not to send the periodic registration request of the second user after the third timer expires; alternatively, the terminal device determines not to start the third timer.

In a fifth aspect, the present application provides a communication method, including: the method comprises the steps that access network equipment receives a first message from terminal equipment and identification and/or address information of a mobility management network element, wherein the first message comprises a first identification corresponding to a first user and a second identification corresponding to a second user, the first message is used for indicating establishment of association between the first user and the second user, the first user corresponds to a first USIM, the second user corresponds to a second USIM, the first USIM and the second USIM are both located in the terminal equipment, and the mobility management network element is a mobility management network element for providing service for the first user; and the access network equipment sends the first message to the mobility management network element according to the identification and/or the address information of the mobility management network element. Based on the scheme, the same mobility management network element is used for serving different users, and the mobility management network element is used for associating different users, so that the information of different users can be exchanged on a network side, and the information synchronization of the users is kept. Therefore, the method and the device are beneficial to improving the communication quality between the network equipment and the terminal equipment, and avoiding the conflict of communication services, thereby improving the communication service experience of users. Furthermore, since the information of different users is located in the same mobility management network element, it is helpful to avoid the interactive signaling overhead between different mobility management network elements in the same operator.

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

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

In an eighth aspect, the present application provides a communication apparatus, which may be an access network device and may also be a chip for an access network device. The apparatus has the functionality to implement the fifth aspect or embodiments of the fifth aspect described above. The function can be realized by hardware, and can also be realized by executing corresponding software by hardware. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the functions described above.

In a ninth aspect, the present application provides a communications apparatus comprising a processor and a memory; the memory is used to store computer-executable instructions that when executed by the apparatus are executed by the processor to cause the apparatus to perform the method of the aspects or embodiments of aspects as described above.

In a tenth aspect, the present application provides a communication apparatus comprising means for performing the various steps of the above aspects or aspects.

In an eleventh aspect, the present application provides a communication device comprising a processor and an interface circuit, the processor being configured to communicate with other devices via the interface circuit and to perform the methods of the aspects or embodiments of the aspects. The processor includes one or more.

In a twelfth aspect, the present application provides a communications device comprising a processor coupled to a memory for invoking programs stored in the memory to perform the methods of the above-described aspects or embodiments of aspects. The memory may be located within the device or external to the device. And the processor includes one or more.

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

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

In a fifteenth aspect, the present application further provides a chip system, comprising: a processor for performing the method of the aspects or embodiments of the aspects.

In a sixteenth aspect, the present application further provides a communication system comprising a second mobility management network element for performing any of the methods of the second aspect and a first mobility management network element for performing any of the methods of the third aspect.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a 5G network architecture based on a service-oriented architecture;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a 5G network architecture based on a point-to-point interface;

fig. 3 is a schematic flow chart of a communication method provided in the present application;

fig. 4 is a schematic flow chart of another communication method provided in the present application;

fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided in the present application;

fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in the present application;

fig. 7 is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in the present application;

fig. 8 is a schematic diagram of a terminal device provided in the present application;

fig. 9 is a schematic diagram of an access network device provided in the present application;

fig. 10 is a schematic diagram of a mobility management network element according to the present application.

Detailed Description

In order to make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the present application more clear, the present application will be further described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The particular methods of operation in the method embodiments may also be applied to apparatus embodiments or system embodiments. In the description of the present application, the term "plurality" means two or more unless otherwise specified. "/" indicates a meaning of "or", for example, A/B may indicate A or B; in the present application, "and/or" is only an association relationship describing an associated object, and means that there may be three relationships, for example, a and/or B, and may mean: a exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone.

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a fifth generation (5G) network architecture based on a service-oriented architecture. The 5G network architecture shown in fig. 1 may include three parts, which are a terminal device part, a Data Network (DN) and an operator network part. The functions of some of the network elements will be briefly described below.

Wherein the operator network may comprise one or more of the following network elements: an Authentication Server Function (AUSF) Network element, a Network open Function (NEF) Network element, a Policy Control Function (PCF) Network element, a Unified Data Management (UDM) Network element, a Unified Data Repository (UDR), a Network storage Function (NRF) Network element, an Application Function (AF) Network element, an access and mobility management Function (AMF) Network element, a Session Management Function (SMF) Network element, a radio access Network (radio access Network, RAN), and a user plane Function (user plane, UPF), and the like. In the operator network described above, the parts other than the radio access network part may be referred to as core network parts.

A terminal device (also referred to as a User Equipment (UE)), which is a device having a wireless transceiving function and can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; can also be deployed on the water surface (such as a ship and the like); and may also be deployed in the air (e.g., airplanes, balloons, satellites, etc.). The terminal device may be a mobile phone (mobile phone), a tablet computer (pad), a computer with wireless transceiving function, a Virtual Reality (VR) terminal, an Augmented Reality (AR) terminal, a wireless terminal in industrial control (industrial control), a wireless terminal in unmanned driving (self driving), a wireless terminal in remote medical treatment (remote medical), a wireless terminal in smart grid (smart grid), a wireless terminal in transportation safety (transportation safety), a wireless terminal in smart city (smart city), a wireless terminal in smart home (smart home), and the like. The terminal device herein refers to a third generation partnership project (3 GPP) terminal.

The terminal device may establish a connection with the carrier network through an interface (e.g., N1, etc.) provided by the carrier network, and use data and/or voice services provided by the carrier network. The terminal device may also access the DN via an operator network, use operator services deployed on the DN, and/or services provided by a third party. The third party may be a service party other than the operator network and the terminal device, and may provide services such as data and/or voice for the terminal device. The specific expression form of the third party may be determined according to an actual application scenario, and is not limited herein.

The RAN is a sub-network of the operator network and is an implementation system between the service node and the terminal device in the operator network. The terminal device is to access the operator network, first through the RAN, and then may be connected to a service node of the operator network through the RAN. The RAN device in this application is a device that provides a wireless communication function for a terminal device, and is also referred to as an access network device. RAN equipment in this application includes, but is not limited to: next generation base station (G node B, gNB), evolved node B (eNB), Radio Network Controller (RNC), Node B (NB), Base Station Controller (BSC), Base Transceiver Station (BTS), home base station (e.g., home evolved node B, or home node B, HNB), Base Band Unit (BBU), transmission point (TRP), Transmission Point (TP), mobile switching center, etc. in 5G.

The AMF network element mainly performs functions of mobility management, access authentication/authorization and the like. In addition, the method is also responsible for transferring the user policy between the UE and the PCF.

The SMF network element mainly performs functions such as session management, execution of control strategies issued by the PCF, selection of the UPF, and allocation of an Internet Protocol (IP) address of the UE.

The UPF network element is used as an interface UPF with a data network to complete functions of user plane data forwarding, session/stream level-based charging statistics, bandwidth limitation and the like.

And the UDM network element is mainly responsible for functions of managing subscription data, user access authorization and the like.

And the UDR is mainly responsible for the access function of the type data such as subscription data, strategy data, application data and the like.

The NEF network element is mainly used for supporting the opening of the capability and the event.

The AF network element mainly transfers requirements of an application side on a network side, such as Quality of Service (QoS) requirements or user status event subscriptions. The AF may be a third party functional entity, or may be an application service deployed by an operator, such as an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) voice call service.

The PCF network element is mainly responsible for performing policy control functions such as charging, QoS bandwidth guarantee, mobility management, UE policy decision, etc. for the session and service stream levels. In this architecture, PCFs connected to the AMF and SMF correspond to an AM PCF (PCF for Access and Mobility Control) and an SM PCF (PCF for Session Management), respectively, and may not be the same PCF entity in an actual deployment scenario.

The NRF network element can be used for providing a network element discovery function and providing network element information corresponding to the network element type based on the request of other network elements. NRF also provides network element management services such as network element registration, update, de-registration, and network element status subscription and push.

AUSF network element: it is primarily responsible for authenticating a user to determine whether the user or device is allowed to access the network.

The DN is a network outside the operator network, the operator network can access a plurality of DNs, and the DN can deploy a plurality of services and provide services such as data and/or voice for the terminal device. For example, the DN is a private network of a certain intelligent factory, a sensor installed in a workshop of the intelligent factory can be a terminal device, a control server of the sensor is deployed in the DN, and the control server can provide services for the sensor. The sensor can communicate with the control server, obtain the instruction of the control server, transmit the sensor data gathered to the control server, etc. according to the instruction. For another example, the DN is an internal office network of a company, the mobile phone or computer of the employee of the company may be a terminal device, and the mobile phone or computer of the employee may access information, data resources, and the like on the internal office network of the company.

Nausf, Nnef, Npcf, Nudm, Naf, Namf, Nsmf, N1, N2, N3, N4, and N6 in FIG. 1 are interface serial numbers. The meaning of these interface sequence numbers can be referred to as that defined in the 3GPP standard protocol, and is not limited herein.

As shown in fig. 2, a schematic diagram of a 5G network architecture based on a point-to-point interface is shown, where introduction of functions of a network element may refer to introduction of functions of a corresponding network element in fig. 1, and details are not repeated. The main differences between fig. 2 and fig. 1 are: the interfaces between the various network elements in fig. 2 are point-to-point interfaces rather than serviced interfaces.

In the architecture shown in fig. 2, the interface names and functions between the network elements are as follows:

1) n7: the interface between the PCF and the SMF is used to send a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session granularity and a service data stream granularity control policy.

2) N15: and the interface between the PCF and the AMF is used for issuing the UE strategy and the access control related strategy.

3) N5: and the interface between the AF and the PCF is used for issuing the application service request and reporting the network event.

4) N4: the interface between the SMF and the UPF is used for transmitting information between the control plane and the user plane, and comprises the control of issuing of forwarding rules, QoS control rules, flow statistic rules and the like facing the user plane and the information reporting of the user plane.

5) N11: and the interface between the SMF and the AMF is used for transmitting PDU session tunnel information between the RAN and the UPF, transmitting control information sent to the UE, transmitting radio resource control information sent to the RAN and the like.

6) N2: and the interface between the AMF and the RAN is used for transmitting radio bearer control information from the core network side to the RAN and the like.

7) N1: the interface between the AMF and the UE, access independence, is used to deliver QoS control rules to the UE, etc.

8) N8: and the interface between the AMF and the UDM is used for acquiring the subscription data and the authentication data related to access and mobility management from the UDM by the AMF, registering the current mobility management related information of the UE from the UDM by the AMF and the like.

9) N10: and the interface between the SMF and the UDM is used for acquiring the subscription data related to the session management from the SMF to the UDM, registering the related information of the current session of the UE from the SMF to the UDM, and the like.

10) N35: and the interface between the UDM and the UDR is used for acquiring the user subscription data information from the UDR by the UDM.

11) N36: and the interface between the PCF and the UDR is used for the PCF to acquire the subscription data related to the strategy and the application data related information from the UDR.

12) N12: an interface between the AMF and the AUSF, configured to initiate an authentication procedure from the AMF to the AUSF, where a Subscription hidden Identifier (SUCI) may be carried as a Subscription Identifier;

13) n13: and the interface between the UDM and the AUSF is used for the AUSF to acquire a user authentication vector from the UDM so as to execute an authentication process.

It is to be understood that the above network elements or functions may be network elements in a hardware device, or may be software functions running on dedicated hardware, or virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform). Optionally, the network element or the function may be implemented by one device, or may be implemented by multiple devices together, or may be a functional module in one device, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application.

The mobility management network element, the authentication network element, and the data management network element in this application may be the AMF, the AUSF, and the UDM in fig. 1 or fig. 2, or may be network elements having the functions of the AMF, the AUSF, and the UDM in future communications, for example, a sixth generation (6G) network, which is not limited in this application. For convenience of description, the present application takes the mobility management network element, the authentication network element, and the data management network element as the AMF, the AUSF, and the UDM, respectively, for example. Further, in the present application, the terminal device is simply referred to as UE.

There are different communication capabilities of UEs currently on the market, including: a single Rx/single Tx (UE), a dual Rx/single Tx (UE), and a dual Rx/dual Tx (UE).

For example, Dual SIM Dual Standby (DSDS) 1.0(single Rx/single Tx UE) can only receive a signal of a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) at the same time, and thus a paging collision (paging collision) problem may occur. DSDS 2.0(dual Rx/single Tx UE) realizes receiving signals of two networks at the same time by switching a part of Radio frequency channels, and the problem of paging collision does not occur, but DSDS 2.0 does not support dynamic switching of uplink transmission between two systems, and thus cannot maintain Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection of two networks. DSDS 3.0(dual Rx/single Tx UE) can realize receiving signals of two networks at the same time and support dynamic switching of uplink transmission between the two systems, so that the problem of paging collision does not occur and RRC connection of the two networks can be maintained.

In addition, different USIMs in the MUSIM on the UE may belong to one Mobile Network Operator (MNO) or may belong to different MNOs.

Currently, the support of MUSIM by the prior art is mainly based on non-standardized schemes of device implementation, resulting in a wide variety of implementations and UE behaviors.

Although the UE may sense the user information corresponding to each USIM in the MUSIM, the user information corresponding to one USIM (e.g., USIM2) is not reported to the PLMN (e.g., PLMN1) corresponding to another USIM (e.g., USIM1) for the PLMN (e.g., PLMN1) to control the user corresponding to the USIM (e.g., USIM1), but the PLMN individually controls the user information corresponding to each USIM, and there is no association between the user information corresponding to different USIMs. For example, the USIM1 belongs to the PLMN1, and the USIM2 belongs to the PLMN2, then the UE may not report the user information corresponding to the USIM2 to the PLMN1 through the connection of the USIM 1; similarly, the UE does not report the user information corresponding to the USIM1 to the PLMN2 through the connection of the USIM 2; further, the user information corresponding to the USIM1 in the PLMN1 is not associated with or sensitive to the user information corresponding to the USIM2 in the PLMN2, and the user information corresponding to the USIM2 in the PLMN2 is not associated with or sensitive to the user information corresponding to the USIM1 in the PLMN 1. The PLMN1 and the PLMN2 may be the same PLMN or different PLMNs.

The problems of the scheme are as follows: user information corresponding to the USIM stored in different network elements of the network side only contains the user's own information, but does not contain user information corresponding to other USIMs, which may cause a reduction in communication quality between the network device and the UE or cause some communication services to collide, thereby affecting the user's communication service experience.

It should be noted that, the user information corresponding to the USIM stored in different network elements on the network side only includes the user's own information, but does not include the user information corresponding to other USIMs, which includes the following two scenarios:

in the scenario 1, different USIMs belong to different PLMNs, and user information corresponding to the USIMs is not interacted between the different PLMNs.

For example, in the above example, the PLMN1 does not acquire user information corresponding to the USIM2 for the USIM1, and the PLMN2 does not acquire user information corresponding to the USIM1 for the USIM 2.

In the scenario 2, different USIMs belong to the same PLMN, the network element inside the PLMN does not interact with the user information corresponding to the USIM.

As an example, both USIM1 and USIM2 belong to the same PLMN, where AMF1 in the PLMN manages user information corresponding to USIM1, and AMF2 in the PLMN manages corresponding user information, so AMF1 does not acquire user information corresponding to USIM2 for USIM1, and AMF2 does not acquire user information corresponding to USIM1 for USIM 1. The AMF1 and the AMF2 may be the same AMF or different AMFs.

Some examples of the possible communication quality degradation between the network device and the UE or some communication service conflicts caused by different network elements on the network side only containing the user's own information are listed below.

Example 1, when the PLMN1 pages the first user (corresponding to USIM1) and the PLMN2 pages the second user (corresponding to USIM2) simultaneously, there may be a conflict of paging occasions, and when the UE listens to the page of one of the users, the UE cannot successfully receive the page of the other user, which results in a failure of the page, thereby causing a conflict of communication services, which affects the communication service experience of the users. Furthermore, the PLMN that failed the paging may still attempt to page the user, thus also resulting in wasted network resources.

Example 2, during a traffic communication between a first user of a UE and a PLMN1 while the first user of the UE is in a connected state, if the PLMN2 initiates a page to a second user, if the UE continues to maintain the traffic of the first user without responding to the page, the page to the second user may fail. Optionally, further, the UE may not even receive the page to the second user, i.e., the UE is unaware that PLMN2 has attempted to page the second user. The above conflict of communication services may also affect the communication service experience of the user.

Example 3, when a first user of a UE is in a connected state, during a service communication between the first user of the UE and a PLMN1, if a PLMN2 initiates paging of a second user, the UE responds to the paging of the second user to receive a service of the second user, and simultaneously releases the connection between the first user and the PLMN1 and suspends the current service of the first user, but the service of the first user may have a higher priority than the service of the second user, so that the UE needs to re-establish the connection between the first user and the PLMN1 and continue the service of the first user, thereby resulting in a lower communication quality between the network device and the UE.

Example 4, when a first user of the UE is in a connected state, during a service communication process of the UE through the first user, a second user of the UE may need to interact with the PLMN2 for some signaling or control plane information, and in order to transmit the signaling or control plane information of the second user, the connection between the first user and the PLMN1 needs to be released, which results in service interruption of the first user, and thus results in a lower communication quality between the network device and the UE.

In order to solve the problem that different network elements on the network side only contain the own information of the user and do not contain the user information corresponding to other USIMs, or that the same network element on the network side contains the information of different users but does not establish the association between the information of different users, which may cause the communication quality between the network device and the UE to be reduced or cause some communication services to be collided, a possible solution is: and the UE monitors the user information corresponding to different USIMs and reports the user information corresponding to the USIMs to the PLMN to which the other USIMs belongs or the AMF in the PLMN. For example, when the USIM1 belongs to the PLMN1 and the USIM2 belongs to the PLMN2, the UE monitors the user information corresponding to the USIM1 and reports the user information to the PLMN2 or the AMF in the PLMN2 through the connection between the USIM2 and the PLMN2, and the UE monitors the user information corresponding to the USIM2 and reports the user information to the PLMN1 or the AMF in the PLMN1 through the connection between the USIM1 and the PLMN 1. For another example, when the USIM1 and the USIM2 belong to the same PLMN, and the AMF2 in the PLMN manages user information corresponding to the USIM2, and the AMF1 in the PLMN manages user information corresponding to the USIM1, the UE monitors the user information corresponding to the USIM1 and reports it to the AMF2 through the connection between the USIM2 and the AMF2, and the UE monitors the user information corresponding to the USIM2 and reports it to the AMF1 through the connection between the USIM1 and the AMF 1. When the USIM1 and the USIM2 belong to the same PLMN, the AMF1 and the AMF2 may be the same AMF.

By the scheme, different network elements on the network side can acquire all the user information, so that the problems mentioned in the examples can be avoided. However, the scheme relies on that the UE continuously reports the user information corresponding to the USIM to the network side through signaling, thereby generating a large amount of signaling overhead. Therefore, the scheme still causes resource waste of the UE and communication quality reduction. For example, when the UE monitors that the second user enters the connected state, even if the first user is in the idle state, the UE needs to make the first user enter the connected state specifically for reporting the state change of the second user.

To solve the above problem, based on the network architecture shown in fig. 1 or fig. 2, as shown in fig. 3, the present application provides a communication method. The method may be performed by the AMF or a component (e.g., a chip, a circuit, etc.) for the AMF on a network side, and may be performed by the UE or a component (e.g., a chip, a circuit, etc.) for the UE on a terminal side. For convenience of explanation, the method is described below by taking an example in which the AMF and the UE perform the method.

In this method, the UE has the MUSIM capability, for example, the UE has USIM1 and USIM2, USIM1 corresponds to user 1, and USIM2 corresponds to user 2. The USIM1 and USIM2 are located in the same PLMN. That is, PLMN1 described below is the same as PLMN 2.

The USIM stores a subscriber Permanent Identifier (SUPI). In this embodiment, the USIM1 stores SUPI1, and the USIM2 stores SUPI 2.

The following example method is done during registration of user 2 with PLMN 2; or, in other Non Access Stratum (NAS) signaling interaction process in the process of registering the user 2 to the PLMN2, such as NAS transport message (e.g., uplink NAS transport (UL NAS transport) message; downlink NAS transport (DL NAS transport) message), or NAS message dedicated for associating multiple UISMs (e.g., MUSIM association establishment request/response); or, in the NAS signaling interaction process after the registration procedure, for example, NAS transport message or NAS message dedicated for associating multiple UISMs; or in other flows, such as a service request flow, for example a service request flow (service request); service accept).

Hereinafter, AMF1, AMF2, user 1, user 2, USIM1, USIM2, SUPI1, SUCI1, GUTI1, SUPI2, SUCI2, GUTI2 may be referred to as a first AMF, a second AMF, a first user, a second user, a first USIM, a second USIM, a first SUPI, a first SUCI, a first GUTI, a second SUPI, a second SUCI, and a second GUTI, respectively. The first SUPI, the first SUCI and the first GUTI correspond to a first user, and the second SUPI, the second SUCI and the second GUTI correspond to a second user. Corresponding to the second user.

Fig. 3 illustrates the registration of user 2 with PLMN 2. The method comprises the following steps:

in step 301, the UE registers user 1 with PLMN 1.

Where the UE registers user 1's context with AMF 1.

In this registration procedure, the UE registers and stores the identity and/or address information of the serving AMF of user 1 (i.e. AMF1), the first identity (see description below) to the UDM.

In step 302, the UE sends a first message to the AMF 2. Accordingly, AMF2 may receive the first message.

The first message comprises a first identification corresponding to the first user and a second identification corresponding to the second user, and the first message is used for indicating the establishment of the association between the first user and the second user.

As yet another implementation, the first message carries one of a first SUPI, or a first SUCI, or a first GUTI, and carries one of a second SUPI, or a second SUCI, or a second GUTI. It is to be understood that the first identifier is a first SUPI, or a first sui, or a first GUTI and the second identifier is a second SUPI, or a second sui, or a second GUTI.

As another implementation method, the first message may carry a first Permanent Equipment Identity (PEI), and further carry one of a second SUPI, a first SUCI, and a second GUTI. It is understood that the first identity is a first PEI, the second identity is a second SUPI, or a second SUCI, or a second GUTI.

As yet another implementation, the first message may carry the first PEI, the second PEI, and one of a second SUPI, a first sui, and a second GUTI. It is understood that the first identity is a first PEI, the second identity is a second SUPI, or a second SUCI, or a second GUTI, or a second PEI.

As another implementation method, the first PEI and the second PEI may be carried in the first message. It is understood that the first identifier is a first PEI and the second identifier is a second PEI.

Optionally, the first message may further include capability information, where the capability information is used to indicate that the UE supports MUSIM, that is, the UE supports multiple USIMs.

Optionally, before the UE sends the first message, it may be further determined that the USIM1 and the USIM2 correspond to the same PLMN. That is, when the USIM1 and the USIM2 correspond to the same PLMN, the UE transmits the first message.

For example, in the Registration process, the first message may be a Registration request (Registration request) message.

In step 303, AMF2 determines whether the context of user 1 is stored according to the first identifier.

In case one, the AMF2 includes (i.e. stores) the context of the user 1 corresponding to the first identifier, which indicates that the AMF2 and the AMF1 are the same AMF, then the following steps 304 to 305 are performed.

In case two, the AMF2 does not contain (i.e. does not store) the context of the user 1 corresponding to the first identifier, indicating that the AMF2 is not the same AMF as the AMF1, then the following steps 306 to 309 are performed.

At step 304, AMF2 establishes an association between User 1 and User 2.

The establishing of the association between the user 1 and the user 2 includes, for example: AMF2 stores the second identification of User 2 in the context of User 1 and the first identification of User 1 in the context of User 2, thereby establishing an association between User 1 and User 2.

At this time, the AMF2 stores the context of user 1 and the context of user 2, and establishes an association between user 1 and user 2. Wherein the context of user 1 includes one or more of: the connection management state of the user 1, the service priority information of the user 1, the service information of the user 1, and the second identifier of the user 2. The context of user 2 includes one or more of: the connection management state of the user 2, the service priority information of the user 2, the service information of the user 2, and the first identifier of the user 1.

Optionally, if the embodiment of fig. 3 is completed in the registration process of the user 2, there may be the following ways:

the first implementation mode comprises the following steps: before step 304, there is no context or subscription information for user 2 on AMF2, then AMF2 first sends a registration request to the UDM. Accordingly, the UDM may receive the registration request. The registration request is for requesting that the second identity, the identity of AMF2 and/or address information be registered with the UDM. The UDM then sends a registration response to AMF 2. Accordingly, AMF2 may receive the registration response. Further, the AMF2 obtains subscription information of the second user from the UDM and then generates context information of the user 2 based on the subscription information. The AMF2 then establishes an association between user 1 and user 2 in step 304.

The second implementation mode comprises the following steps: before step 304, where there is context information for user 2 on AMF2, AMF2 establishes an association between user 1 and user 2 in step 304, after step 304, AMF2 may also send a registration request to the UDM. Accordingly, the UDM may receive the registration request. The registration request is for requesting that the second identity, the identity of AMF2 and/or address information be registered with the UDM. The UDM then sends a registration response to AMF 2. Accordingly, AMF2 may receive the registration response. In addition, optionally, the methods described in the above two implementation manners may be executed after step 303, or may be executed before step 303.

At step 305, the AMF2 sends a second message to the UE. Accordingly, the UE may receive the second message.

Optionally, the second message includes configuration information of the second user. For example, the configuration information includes a second timer of the second user, the duration of the second timer is longer than the duration of the first timer of the first user, and the terminal device sends the periodic registration request of the second user after the second timer expires. For another example, the configuration information includes first indication information, where the first indication information is used to indicate that a timer of the second user is turned off, and the terminal device determines not to send the periodic registration request of the second user. For another example, the configuration information includes a third timer of the second user and second indication information, where the second indication information is used to indicate that the third timer is invalid, the terminal device starts the third timer, and determines not to send the periodic registration request of the second user after the third timer expires; alternatively, the terminal device determines not to start the third timer (which is equivalent to determining not to send the periodic registration request of the second user).

Alternatively, if the embodiment of fig. 3 is completed in the registration process of the user 2, the second message may be a registration acceptance message.

In step 306, the AMF2 obtains the id and/or address information of the AMF1 corresponding to the first id.

Optionally, before acquiring the identifier and/or address information of the AMF1 corresponding to the first identifier, the AMF2 further determines that the AMF2 determines that the first USIM and the second USIM correspond to the same PLMN. That is, when the AMF2 determines that the first USIM and the second USIM correspond to the same PLMN, the AMF2 performs step 306.

Optionally, after obtaining the identifier and/or address information of the AMF1 corresponding to the first identifier, and before sending the first message to the AMF1, the AMF2 further determines that the AMF1 can meet all service (e.g., slice service, etc.) requirements of the user 2. That is, when the AMF2 determines that the AMF1 can satisfy all the service (e.g., slice service, etc.) requirements of the user 2, the AMF2 performs the following step 307, otherwise does not perform the step 307.

The implementation method of the AMF2 to obtain the identifier and/or address information of the AMF1 corresponding to the first identifier is given below, and it should be noted that the method of the AMF2 to obtain the identifier and/or address information of the AMF1 corresponding to the first identifier is not limited to these methods, and may also include other methods.

The method comprises the steps that 1, the first identifier is a first SUCI of a user 1, the AMF2 determines an AUSF and a UDM corresponding to the user 1 according to the first SUCI, the AMF2 sends the first SUCI to the AUSF, the AUSF sends the first SUCI to the UDM, the UDM determines a first SUPI according to the first SUCI and returns the first SUPI to the AUSF, the AUSF returns the first SUPI to the AMF2, then the AMF2 sends the first SUPI to the UDM, and the AUSF acquires the identifier and/or address information of the AMF1 according to the first SUPI and returns the identifier and/or address information to the AMF 2.

Method 2, the first identifier is a first SUCI of user 1, AMF2 determines an AUSF corresponding to user 1 according to the first SUCI, AMF2 sends the first SUCI to the AUSF, the AUSF sends the first SUCI to the UDM, the UDM determines a first SUPI according to the first SUCI, acquires the identifier and/or address information of AMF1 according to the first SUPI and returns the identifier and/or address information to the AUSF, and then the AUSF returns the identifier and/or address information of AMF1 to AMF 2.

And 3, the first identifier is a first SUCI of the user 1, the AMF2 determines the UDM corresponding to the user 1 according to the first SUCI, the AMF2 sends the first SUCI to the UDM, the UDM determines the first SUPI according to the first SUCI, acquires the identifier and/or the address information of the AMF1 according to the first SUPI, and returns the identifier and/or the address information to the AMF 2.

If the embodiment of fig. 2 is implemented in the registration process of the user 2, one implementation manner of the method 3 is as follows: the AMF2 determines a UDM corresponding to the user 1 according to the first SUCI, the AMF2 sends a registration request to the UDM, the registration request comprises the first SUCI, the registration request is used for requesting that the user 2 is registered to the UDM, the UDM determines a first SUPI according to the first SUCI, acquires the identification and/or address information of the AMF1 according to the first SUPI, and then the UDM sends a registration response to the AMF2, wherein the identification and/or address information of the AMF1 is carried.

And 4, the first identifier is the first SUPI of the user 1, the AMF2 determines the UDM corresponding to the user 1 according to the first SUPI, the AMF2 sends the first SUPI to the UDM, and the UDM acquires the identifier and/or address information of the AMF1 according to the first SUPI and returns the identifier and/or address information to the AMF 2.

If the embodiment in fig. 2 is implemented in the registration process of the user 2, one implementation manner of the method 4 is: the AMF2 determines a UDM corresponding to the user 1 according to the first SUPI, the AMF2 sends a registration request to the UDM, the registration request comprises the first SUPI, the registration request is used for requesting to register the user 2 to the UDM, the UDMP obtains the identification and/or address information of the AMF1 according to the first SUPI, and then the UDM sends a registration response to the AMF2, wherein the registration response carries the identification and/or address information of the AMF 1.

Method 5, the first identity is the first GUTI of user 1, AMF2 determines the identity and/or address information of AMF1 according to the first GUTI. I.e. the first GUTI carries the identity and/or address information of AMF 1.

Optionally, if the embodiment of fig. 3 is completed in the registration process of the user 2, after this step 306, the AMF2 may further send a request for deregistering the second identifier corresponding to the user 2, the identifier of the AMF2, and/or the address information to the UDM. For example, the AMF2 sends a deregistration request to the UDM requesting that the identity and/or address information of the AMF2, the second identity, be deregistered. This is because user 2 will re-initiate the registration process through AMF1 and re-register the identity and/or address information of AMF1, the second identity, to the UDM. Optionally, the UDM may also send a deregistration response to the AMF 2. Accordingly, AMF2 may receive the deregistration response. It should be noted that the deregistration process is optional, and when the UDM sends the identifier and/or address information of the AMF1 to the AUSF or the AMF2, if the UDM determines that the AMF1 and the AMF2 are not the same AMF, the UDM actively deregisters the identifier and/or address information of the AMF2 and the second identifier, so that signaling overhead can be saved, that is, a deregistration request and a deregistration response do not need to be sent.

Step 307, AMF2 sends a first message to AMF 1. Accordingly, AMF1 may receive the first message.

At step 308, the AMF1 establishes an association between the first user and the second user.

The AMF1 establishes the association between the user 1 and the user 2, and the specific association method is similar to the method in step 304 and is not described again.

Optionally, the context of user 2 in AMF1 may be that AMF2 sent to AMF1, or may also be that AMF1 generated from the first message.

In step 309, the AMF1 sends a third message to the UE. Accordingly, the UE may receive the third message.

Optionally, the function of the third message is the same as the content and function of the second message, and is not described in detail again.

Based on the scheme, the same AMF is used for serving different users, and the AMF associates different users, so that the information of different users can be handed over by a network side, and the information of the users can be kept synchronous. Therefore, the communication quality between the network equipment and the UE is improved, the conflict of communication services is avoided, and the communication service experience of the user is improved. Further, since the information of different users is located in the same AMF, it helps to avoid the interactive signaling overhead between different AMFs in the same operator.

To solve the above problem, based on the network architecture shown in fig. 1 or fig. 2, as shown in fig. 4, the present application provides another communication method. The method may be performed by the AMF or a component (e.g., a chip, a circuit, etc.) for the AMF on a network side, and may be performed by the UE or a component (e.g., a chip, a circuit, etc.) for the UE on a terminal side. For convenience of explanation, the method performed by the AMF and the UE is described as an example below.

In the method, the UE has MUSIM capability, a USIM1 and a USIM2 exist on the UE, the USIM1 corresponds to a user 1, and the USIM2 corresponds to a user 2. The USIM1 and the USIM2 belong to the same PLMN. That is, PLMN1 described below is the same as PLMN 2.

The USIM stores SUPI. In this embodiment, the USIM1 stores SUPI1, and the USIM2 stores SUPI 2.

The following example method is done during registration of user 2 with PLMN 2; but not excluded, is done during other Non Access Stratum (NAS) signaling interactions during user 2 registration to PLMN2, such as NAS transport messages (e.g., uplink NAS transport message; downlink NAS transport message), or NAS messages specifically used to associate multiple UISMs (e.g., musis association request/response); nor does it exclude that this is done in the NAS signaling interaction process after the registration procedure, e.g. NAS transport messages, or NAS messages dedicated to associating multiple UISMs; it does not exclude that it is performed in other flows, such as a service request flow, e.g. a service request flow (service request); service accept).

The method comprises the following steps:

in step 401, the UE registers user 1 with PLMN 1.

Where the UE registers user 1's context with AMF 1.

In this registration procedure, the UE registers and stores the identity and/or address information of the AMF serving user 1 and the first identity of user 1 (see description below) to the UDM.

In step 402, the UE sends a first message to the RAN, along with identification and/or address information of the AMF. Accordingly, the RAN may receive the first message, along with identification and/or address information of the AMF.

That is, the UE transmits the first message and the identity of the AMF, or transmits the first message and the address information of the AMF. The AMF is an AMF that provides a service for the user 1, or transmits the first message, an identification of the AMF, and address information of the AMF.

Optionally, the terminal device obtains a first globally unique temporary identifier GUTI of the first user, and obtains an identifier and/or address information of a mobility management network element corresponding to the first user according to the first GUTI.

Optionally, the identity and/or address information of AMF is carried in the first GUTI of user 1.

The first message contains a first identifier corresponding to the user 1 and a second identifier corresponding to the user 2, and the first message is used for indicating that the association between the user 1 and the second user 2 is established.

Optionally, the first identifier is a first SUPI, or a first sui, or a first GUTI, and the second identifier is a second SUPI, or a second sui, or a second GUTI.

In step 403, the RAN selects an AMF.

The AMF selected by the RAN is the AMF corresponding to the identifier and/or address information of the AMF carried in step 402, that is, the AMF providing service for the user 1. That is, the AMF selected by the RAN for subscriber 2 is the same AMF that served for subscriber 1.

In step 404, the RAN sends a first message to the AMF based on the identification and/or address information of the AMF. Accordingly, the AMF may receive the first message.

At step 405, the AMF establishes an association between User 1 and User 2.

The establishing of the association between the user 1 and the user 2 includes, for example: the AMF stores the identity of User 2 in the context of User 1 and the identity of User 1 in the context of User 2, thereby establishing an association between User 1 and User 2.

The context of user 1 also includes one or more of: the connection management state of the user 1, the service priority information of the user 1, and the service information of the user 1. The context of user 2 also includes one or more of: the connection management state of the user 2, the service priority information of the user 2, and the service information of the user 2.

Optionally, before establishing the association between the user 1 and the user 2, the AMF further determines that the AMF can satisfy all service (e.g., slice service, etc.) requirements of the user 2. That is, when the AMF can satisfy all the service (e.g., slice service) requirements of the user 2, the step 405 is executed. Otherwise, the step 405 is not performed, for example, the AMF may redirect the user 1 and the user 2 to the same other AMF, and the AMF may satisfy all the service (e.g., slice service, etc.) requirements of the user 1 and the user 2.

Optionally, if the embodiment of fig. 4 is completed in the registration process of the user 2, there may be the following ways:

the first implementation mode comprises the following steps: before step 405, if the context information or subscription information of the user 2 does not exist on the AMF, the AMF first sends a registration request to the UDM. Accordingly, the UDM may receive the registration request. The registration request is for requesting registration of the second identity, the identity of the AMF and/or the address information to the UDM. The UDM then sends a registration response to the AMF. Accordingly, the AMF may receive the registration response. Further, the AMF acquires subscription information of the user 2 from the UDM, and then generates context information of the user 2 based on the subscription information. The AMF then establishes an association between User 1 and User 2 in step 405.

The second implementation mode comprises the following steps: before step 405, if the context information of user 2 exists on the AMF, then in step 405, the AMF establishes an association between user 1 and user 2, and after step 405, the AMF may also send a registration request to the UDM. Accordingly, the UDM may receive the registration request. The registration request is for requesting that the second identity, the identity of AMF2 and/or address information be registered with the UDM. The UDM then sends a registration response to the AMF. Accordingly, the AMF may receive the registration response.

In step 406, the AMF sends a second message to the UE. Accordingly, the UE may receive the second message.

The second message has the same implementation method and function as the second message in the embodiment of fig. 3, and is not described in detail.

Based on the scheme, the same AMF is used for serving different users, and the AMF associates different users, so that the information of different users can be handed over by a network side, and the information of the users can be kept synchronous. Therefore, the communication quality between the network equipment and the UE can be improved, the conflict of communication services can be avoided, and the communication service experience of the user can be improved. Further, since the information of different users is located in the same AMF, it helps to avoid the interactive signaling overhead between different AMFs in the same operator.

It should be noted that, by using the embodiment of fig. 3 or the embodiment of fig. 4, it is implemented to select the same AMF for different users, where the AMF stores contexts of different users, and there is an association between the contexts, which will help to improve communication quality between the network device and the UE. For example, for the FIG. 3 embodiment, in case one, AMF2 establishes an association between USER-1 and USER-2, and in case two, AMF1 establishes an association between USER-1 and USER-2. As another example, for the embodiment of fig. 4, the association between user 1 and user 2 is established by the AMF that provides services for both user 1 and user 2.

After establishing the association between User 1 and User 2, the AMF may perform controls for User 1 and/or User 2 based on the context of User 1 and the context of User 2. The following description is made in conjunction with the four aforementioned examples.

Note that the AMF below may be the AMF2 in case one, or the AMF1 in case two, or the AMF in fig. 4 in fig. 3. In addition, the following description is given by taking control of the first user as an example, and a similar control method is also available for the second user.

For the case of example 1 above, for example, if the UE has MUSIM capability and both the first user and the second user are in idle states, when paging fails, the AMF determines that paging failure may be caused by paging collision. Due to the paging failure, the paging range is enlarged or the number of paging is increased according to the prior art to increase the probability of paging success. However, since the reason for the failure of the paging is paging collision, it is meaningless to expand the paging range or increase the number of times of paging, which will not only increase the probability of successful paging, but also increase the overhead of the UE and reduce the communication quality between the network device and the UE. Therefore, in order to reduce the overhead of the UE and improve the communication quality between the network device and the UE, in the embodiment of the present application, the AMF may page the first user according to a preset paging policy. That is, with respect to the above example 1, the control method is: and if the paging of the first user fails, the AMF pages the first user according to a paging strategy under the condition that the information of the first user comprises that the first user is in an idle state and the information of the second user comprises that the second user is in the idle state.

As an implementation method, the paging policy includes at least one of: the paging attempt times are less than that of a single USIM, and the expanded paging range is less than that of a single USIM. The method reduces signaling overhead by reducing the number of pages. The paging of the single USIM refers to that only one USIM is available on the UE, and the network equipment also determines that the UE only has one USIM, so that the network equipment configures a paging strategy corresponding to the single USIM for the UE. The description is unified here and will not be repeated.

As another implementation method, the number of paging attempts is more than that of a single USIM, and the time interval between the next paging attempt and the current paging attempt is increased. The method can improve the probability of paging success by increasing the paging times.

For the scenario of example 2 above, according to the prior art, the UE may continue to maintain the traffic of the first user without responding to the paging of the second user or without knowing that the second user has attempted paging. On the premise that the AMF can interact with the user information, if the second user fails to page but the first user is in the connected state, the AMF may notify the UE through the NAS connection of the first user: the second user has a downlink service. Thus, paging for the second user may be accomplished by the first user. That is, with respect to the above example 2, the control method is: if the paging of the second user fails, the AMF notifies the UE through the communication connection of the first user, where the information of the first user includes that the first user is in a connected state, and the information of the second user includes that the second user is in an idle state: the second user has a downlink service. Further, in this case, the AMF may also page the second user according to a paging policy, where the paging policy includes at least one of: terminating paging attempts, the number of paging attempts being less than the number of paging attempts of a single USIM, the extended paging range being less than the extended paging range of a single USIM. Since the first user is already in a connected state and the success probability of paging by the second user is low, the method can reduce the signaling overhead by reducing the paging times.

For the situation of the foregoing example 3, in this embodiment of the application, when the AMF determines that the priority of the service to be initiated on the first user is lower than the priority of the service ongoing on the second user, it determines not to initiate the service on the first user, that is, does not page the first user, which is beneficial to avoiding unnecessary paging, so that the signaling overhead of the UE can be saved and the communication quality between the network device and the UE can be improved. Thus, the network side can decide whether to trigger paging. That is, with respect to example 3 described above, the control method is: and if the priority of the service to be initiated of the first user is lower than that of the service to be initiated of the second user, the AMF determines not to initiate paging for the service to be initiated of the first user under the condition that the information of the first user comprises that the first user is in an idle state, the information of the service to be initiated of the first user and the priority of the service to be initiated, and the information of the second user comprises that the second user is in a connected state, the information of the service to be initiated of the second user and the priority of the service to be initiated.

For the situation of the foregoing example 4, in this embodiment of the application, for the signaling or control plane information that the second user needs to interact with the PLMN, in order to not interrupt the service of the first user, the AMF may send the signaling or control plane information to the UE through the communication connection of the first user. Thus, an optimization of the signaling transmission can be achieved. That is, with respect to example 4 described above, the control method is: and when the information of the first user comprises that the first user is in a connected state and the information of the second user comprises that the second user is in an idle state, the first AMF sends signaling or control plane information of the second user to the UE through the communication connection of the first user. Or, in a case that the information of the first user includes that the first user is in an idle state, and the information of the second user includes that the second user is in a connected state, the AMF sends signaling or control plane information of the first user to the UE through the communication connection of the second user.

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

It should be understood that, in the foregoing method embodiments, the steps or operations implemented by the terminal device may also be implemented by a component (for example, a chip or a circuit) that may be configured in the terminal device, the steps or operations implemented by the access network device, the steps or operations implemented by the mobility management element, or the components (for example, a chip or a circuit) that may be configured in the access network device.

The present embodiments also provide an apparatus for implementing any one of the above methods, for example, an apparatus is provided that includes a unit (or means) for implementing each step performed by a terminal device in any one of the above methods. For another example, another apparatus is also provided, which includes means (or means) for implementing each step performed by the access network device in any of the above methods. For another example, another apparatus is also provided, which includes means (or means) for implementing each step performed by the mobility management element in any of the above methods.

For example, referring to fig. 5, a schematic diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application is shown. The apparatus is configured to implement the steps performed by the corresponding terminal device in the foregoing method embodiment, and as shown in fig. 5, the apparatus 500 includes a sending unit 510 and a receiving unit 520. Optionally, the system further includes a determining unit 530 and a configuring unit 540.

A sending unit 510, configured to send a first message, where the first message includes a first identifier corresponding to a first user and a second identifier corresponding to a second user, the first message is used to indicate that an association between the first user and the second user is established, the first user corresponds to a first USIM, the second user corresponds to a second USIM, and both the first USIM and the second USIM are located in a terminal device; a receiving unit 520, configured to receive a second message, where the second message is used to indicate that the association between the first user and the second user is successfully established.

In a possible implementation method, the determining unit 530 is configured to obtain a first GUTI of a first user; acquiring the identifier and/or address information of a mobility management network element corresponding to the first user according to the first GUTI; a sending unit 510, configured to send an identifier and/or address information of a mobility management network element corresponding to the first user.

In a possible implementation method, the determining unit 530 is configured to determine that the first USIM and the second USIM correspond to the same PLMN before the sending unit sends the first message.

In a possible implementation method, the second message contains configuration information of the second user; the configuration information includes a second timer of the second user, the duration of the second timer is greater than the duration of the first timer of the first user, and the sending unit 510 is configured to send the periodic registration request of the second user after the second timer expires.

In a possible implementation method, the second message contains configuration information of the second user; the configuration information includes first indication information, where the first indication information is used to indicate that the timer of the second user is turned off, and the configuration unit 540 is used to determine not to send the periodic registration request of the second user.

In a possible implementation method, the second message contains configuration information of the second user; the configuration information includes a third timer of the second user and second indication information, where the second indication information is used to indicate that the third timer is invalid, and the configuration unit 540 is configured to start the third timer and determine not to send the periodic registration request of the second user after the third timer expires; alternatively, it is determined not to start the third timer.

It is to be understood that the above units may also be referred to as modules or circuits, and the above units may be provided independently or may be integrated wholly or partially.

In a possible implementation manner, the transmitting unit 510 and the receiving unit 520 may also be implemented by a transceiver, or the transmitting unit 510 and the receiving unit 520 may also be collectively referred to as a transceiver. The determining unit 530 and the configuring unit 540 may also be implemented by a processing unit, or the determining unit 530 and the configuring unit 540 may also be collectively referred to as a processing unit.

The transmitting unit 510 and the receiving unit 520 or the transceiving unit may also be referred to as a communication interface, and the processing unit may also be referred to as a processor.

Optionally, the communication device 500 may further include a storage unit, which is used for storing data or instructions (also referred to as codes or programs), and the above units may interact with or be coupled to the storage unit to implement corresponding methods or functions. For example, the processing unit may read data or instructions in the storage unit, so that the communication device implements the method in the above-described embodiments.

For example, referring to fig. 6, a schematic diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application is provided. The apparatus is configured to implement the steps performed by the corresponding access network device in the foregoing method embodiment, as shown in fig. 6, the apparatus 600 includes a sending unit 610 and a receiving unit 620.

A receiving unit 620, configured to receive a first message from a terminal device, and an identifier and/or address information of a mobility management network element, where the first message includes a first identifier corresponding to a first user and a second identifier corresponding to a second user, the first message is used to indicate that an association between the first user and the second user is established, the first user corresponds to a first USIM, the second user corresponds to a second USIM, both the first USIM and the second USIM are located in the terminal device, and the mobility management network element is a mobility management network element that provides a service for the first user; a sending unit 610, configured to send the first message to the mobility management network element according to the identifier and/or the address information of the mobility management network element.

In one possible implementation, establishing an association between a first user and a second user includes: the second identity is stored in the context of the first user and the first identity is stored in the context of the second user.

In one possible implementation, the first identifier is a first SUPI, or a first sui, or a first GUTI, and the second identifier is a second SUPI, or a second sui, or a second GUTI.

It is to be understood that the above units may also be referred to as modules, circuits, etc., and the above units may be provided independently or may be integrated wholly or partially.

In a possible implementation manner, the sending unit 610 and the receiving unit 620 may also be implemented by a transceiving unit, or the sending unit 610 and the receiving unit 620 may also be collectively referred to as a transceiving unit. The transmitting unit 610 and the receiving unit 620 or the transceiving unit may also be referred to as a communication interface.

Optionally, the communication device 600 may further include a storage unit, which is used for storing data or instructions (also referred to as codes or programs), and the above units may interact with or be coupled to the storage unit to implement corresponding methods or functions. For example, the processing unit may read data or instructions in the storage unit, so that the communication device implements the method in the above-described embodiments.

For example, referring to fig. 7, a schematic diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application is provided. The apparatus is configured to implement the steps performed by the corresponding mobility management network element in the foregoing method embodiment, as shown in fig. 7, the apparatus 700 includes a sending unit 710 and a receiving unit 720. Optionally, the system further includes an association unit 730, a control unit 740, and a determination unit 750.

In a first embodiment:

a receiving unit 720, configured to receive a first message from a terminal device, where the first message includes a first identifier corresponding to a first user and a second identifier corresponding to a second user, and the first message is used to indicate that an association between the first user and the second user is established, where the first user corresponds to a first USIM, the second user corresponds to a second USIM, and both the first USIM and the second USIM are located in the terminal device. The second mobility management network element includes a context of the first user corresponding to the first identifier, and the associating unit 730 is configured to establish an association between the first user and the second user.

In a possible implementation method, the associating unit 730 is specifically configured to store the second identifier in the context of the first user, and store the first identifier in the context of the second user.

In one possible implementation, the context of the first user further includes one or more of: the method comprises the steps of obtaining connection management state of a first user, service priority information of the first user and service information of the first user; the context of the second user further includes one or more of: the connection management state of the second user, the service priority information of the second user and the service information of the second user.

In a possible implementation method, the sending unit 710 is configured to send a second message to the terminal device, where the second message includes configuration information of a second user; the configuration information includes a second timer of the second user, the duration of the second timer is longer than the duration of the first timer of the first user, or the configuration information includes first indication information, the first indication information is used for indicating that the timer of the second user is closed, or the configuration information includes a third timer of the second user and second indication information, and the second indication information is used for indicating that the third timer is invalid.

In a possible implementation method, the first USIM and the second USIM correspond to the same PLMN.

In a possible implementation method, the control unit 740 is configured to perform control on the first user according to the context of the first user and the context of the second user.

In a possible implementation method, the context of the first user includes that the first user is in an idle state, and the context of the second user includes that the second user is in an idle state; a control unit 740, configured to, if the paging of the first user fails, perform paging on the first user according to a paging policy; the paging strategy includes at least one of: the paging attempt times are less than the paging attempt times of a single USIM, and the expanded paging range is less than the expanded paging range of the single USIM; alternatively, the paging policy includes at least one of: the paging attempt times are more than that of a single USIM, and the time interval between the next paging attempt and the current paging attempt is increased.

In a possible implementation method, the context of the first user includes that the first user is in an idle state, and the context of the second user includes that the second user is in a connected state; the control unit 740 is specifically configured to page the first user according to a paging policy, where the paging policy includes at least one of: terminating paging attempts, the number of paging attempts being less than the number of paging attempts of a single USIM, the extended paging range being less than the extended paging range of a single USIM.

In a possible implementation method, the context of the first user includes that the first user is in an idle state, and the context of the second user includes that the second user is in a connected state; the control unit 740 is specifically configured to notify the terminal device that the first user has the downlink service through the communication connection of the second user if the paging of the first user fails.

In one possible implementation method, the context of the first user includes that the first user is in a connected state, and the context of the second user includes that the second user is in an idle state; the control unit 740 is specifically configured to, if the second user fails to page, notify the terminal device, through the communication connection of the first user, that: the second user has a downlink service.

In a possible implementation method, the context of the first user includes the priority of the service to be initiated of the first user when the first user is in an idle state, and the context of the second user includes the priority of the ongoing service of the second user when the second user is in a connected state; the control unit 740 is specifically configured to determine not to initiate paging for the service to be initiated of the first user, if the priority of the service to be initiated of the first user is lower than the priority of the ongoing service of the second user.

In one possible implementation method, the context of the first user includes that the first user is in a connected state, and the context of the second user includes that the second user is in an idle state; the control unit 740 is specifically configured to send signaling or control plane information of the second user to the terminal device through the communication connection of the first user.

In a possible implementation method, the context of the first user includes that the first user is in an idle state, and the context of the second user includes that the second user is in a connected state; the control unit 740 is specifically configured to send signaling or control plane information of the first user to the terminal device through the communication connection of the second user.

In a second embodiment:

a receiving unit 720, configured to receive a first message from a terminal device, where the first message includes a first identifier corresponding to a first user and a second identifier corresponding to a second user, the first message is used to indicate that an association between the first user and the second user is established, the first user corresponds to a first USIM, the second user corresponds to a second USIM, and both the first USIM and the second USIM are located in the terminal device; the second mobility management network element does not include the context of the first user corresponding to the first identifier, and the determining unit 750 is configured to obtain the identifier and/or the address information of the first mobility management network element corresponding to the first identifier, where the first mobility management network element is a mobility management network element that provides a service for the first user; a sending unit 710, configured to send the first message to the first mobility management network element.

In a possible implementation method, the sending unit 710 is configured to send, to the data management network element, a request for deregistering a second identifier corresponding to a second user, an identifier of a second mobility management network element, and/or address information.

In one possible implementation method, establishing an association between a first user and a second user includes: the second identity is stored in the context of the first user and the first identity is stored in the context of the second user.

In a possible implementation method, the determining unit 750 is further configured to determine that the first USIM and the second USIM correspond to the same PLMN before acquiring the identifier and/or the address information of the first mobility management network element corresponding to the first identifier.

In one possible implementation, the first identifier is a first SUCI of the first user; the determining unit 750 is configured to obtain the identifier and/or the address information of the first mobility management network element corresponding to the first identifier, and specifically includes: determining an authentication network element and a data management network element corresponding to the first user according to the first SUCI; transmitting the first SUCI to the authentication network element through the transmitting unit 710; receiving, by the receiving unit 720, a first SUPI of the first user from the authentication network element, the first SUPI being from the data management network element; transmitting the first SUPI to the data management network element through the transmitting unit 710; the identification and/or address information of the first mobility management network element is received from the authentication network element by the receiving unit 720.

In one possible implementation, the first identifier is a first SUCI of the first user; the determining unit 750 is configured to obtain the identifier and/or the address information of the first mobility management network element corresponding to the first identifier, and specifically includes: determining a first network element corresponding to a first user according to the first SUCI; transmitting the first SUCI to the first network element through the transmitting unit 710; receiving, by the receiving unit 720, identification and/or address information of a first mobility management network element from a first network element; the first network element is an authentication network element, and the identification and/or address information of the first mobility management network element is from a data management network element corresponding to the first user; or, the first network element is a data management network element.

In a possible implementation method, the first network element is a data management network element; a sending unit 710, configured to send a registration request to the first network element, where the registration request includes the first sui, and the registration request is used to request that the second user is registered to the data management network element; a receiving unit 720, configured to receive a registration response from the first network element, where the registration response includes identification and/or address information of the first mobility management network element.

In one possible implementation, the first identity is a first SUPI of the first user; the determining unit 750 is configured to obtain the identifier and/or the address information of the first mobility management network element corresponding to the first identifier, and specifically includes: determining a data management network element corresponding to a first user according to the first SUPI; transmitting the first SUPI to the data management network element through the transmitting unit 710; the identification and/or address information of the first mobility management network element is received from the data management network element by the receiving unit 720.

In a possible implementation method, the sending unit 710 is configured to send a registration request to a data management network element, where the registration request includes a first sui, and the registration request is used to request that a second user is registered to the data management network element; a receiving unit 720, configured to receive a registration response from the data management network element, where the registration response includes the identification and/or address information of the first mobility management network element.

In one possible implementation, the first identifier is a first GUTI of the first user; the determining unit 750 is configured to obtain the identifier and/or the address information of the first mobility management network element corresponding to the first identifier, and specifically includes: and determining the identification and/or address information of the first mobility management network element according to the first GUTI.

In a possible implementation method, before the second mobility management element sends the first message to the first mobility management element, it is determined that the first mobility management element meets the slicing service requirement of the second user.

In a third embodiment:

a receiving unit 720, configured to receive a first message, where the first message includes a first identifier corresponding to a first user and a second identifier corresponding to a second user, the first user corresponds to a first USIM, the second user corresponds to a second USIM, both the first USIM and the second USIM are located in a terminal device, and the first mobility management network element is a mobility management network element that provides a service for the first user; an associating unit 730, configured to establish an association between the first user and the second user according to the first message.

In one possible implementation, the context of the first user further includes one or more of: the method comprises the steps of obtaining a connection management state of a first user, service priority information of the first user and service information of the first user; the context of the second user further includes one or more of: the connection management state of the second user, the service priority information of the second user and the service information of the second user.

In a possible implementation method, the receiving unit 720 is further configured to receive a context of a second user from a second mobility management network element; alternatively, the determining unit 750 is configured to generate the context of the second user according to the first message.

In a possible implementation method, the sending unit 710 is configured to send a third message to the terminal device, where the third message includes configuration information of a second user; the configuration information includes a second timer of the second user, the duration of the second timer is longer than the duration of the first timer of the first user, or the configuration information includes first indication information, the first indication information is used for indicating that the timer of the second user is closed, or the configuration information includes a third timer of the second user and second indication information, and the second indication information is used for indicating that the third timer is invalid.

In a possible implementation method, the receiving unit 720 is configured to receive the first message from the second mobility management network element or the access network device.

In a possible implementation method, the determining unit 750 is further configured to determine that the first USIM and the second USIM correspond to the same PLMN before establishing the association between the first user and the second user according to the first message.

In a possible implementation method, the context of the first user includes that the first user is in an idle state, and the context of the second user includes that the second user is in an idle state; a control unit 740, configured to, if the paging of the first user fails, perform paging on the first user according to a paging policy; the paging strategy includes at least one of: the paging attempt times are less than the paging attempt times of a single USIM, and the expanded paging range is less than the expanded paging range of the single USIM; alternatively, the paging policy comprises at least one of: the paging attempt times are more than that of a single USIM, and the time interval between the next paging attempt and the current paging attempt is increased.

In a possible implementation method, the context of the first user includes that the first user is in an idle state and the priority of a service to be initiated of the first user, and the context of the second user includes that the second user is in a connected state and the priority of an ongoing service of the second user; the control unit 740 is specifically configured to determine not to initiate paging for the service to be initiated of the first user, if the priority of the service to be initiated of the first user is lower than the priority of the ongoing service of the second user.

In a possible implementation method, the context of the first user includes that the first user is in a connected state, and the context of the second user includes that the second user is in an idle state; the control unit 740 is specifically configured to send signaling or control plane information of the second user to the terminal device through the communication connection of the first user.

In a possible implementation manner, the transmitting unit 710 and the receiving unit 720 may also be implemented by a transceiving unit, or the transmitting unit 710 and the receiving unit 720 may also be collectively referred to as a transceiving unit. The association unit 730, the control unit 740, and the determination unit 750 may also be implemented by a processing unit, or the association unit 730, the control unit 740, and the determination unit 750 may also be collectively referred to as a processing unit.

The transmitting unit 710 and the receiving unit 720 or the transceiving unit may also be referred to as a communication interface, and the processing unit may also be referred to as a processor.

Optionally, the communication device 700 may further include a storage unit, which is used for storing data or instructions (also referred to as codes or programs), and the above units may interact with or be coupled to the storage unit to implement corresponding methods or functions. For example, the processing unit may read data or instructions in the storage unit, so that the communication device implements the method in the above-described embodiments.

It should be understood that the division of the units in the above apparatus is only a division of logical functions, and the actual implementation may be wholly or partially integrated into one physical entity or may be physically separated. And the units in the device can be realized in the form of software called by the processing element; or may be implemented entirely in hardware; part of the units can also be realized in the form of software called by a processing element, and part of the units can be realized in the form of hardware. For example, each unit may be a processing element separately set up, or may be implemented by being integrated into a chip of the apparatus, or may be stored in a memory in the form of a program, and a function of the unit may be called and executed by a processing element of the apparatus. In addition, all or part of the units can be integrated together or can be independently realized. The processing element described herein may in turn be a processor, which may be an integrated circuit having signal processing capabilities. In the implementation process, the steps of the method or the units above may be implemented by integrated logic circuits of hardware in a processor element or in a form called by software through the processor element.

In one example, the units in any of the above apparatuses may be one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the above methods, such as: one or more Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), or one or more microprocessors (DSPs), or one or more Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), or a combination of at least two of these Integrated Circuit formats. As another example, when a Unit in a device may be implemented in the form of a Processing element scheduler, the Processing element may be a general-purpose processor, such as a Central Processing Unit (CPU) or other processor capable of invoking programs. As another example, these units may be integrated together and implemented in the form of a system-on-a-chip (SOC).

The above unit for receiving (e.g., receiving unit) is an interface circuit of the apparatus for receiving a signal from other apparatus. For example, when the device is implemented in the form of a chip, the receiving unit is an interface circuit for the chip to receive signals from other chips or devices. The above unit for transmitting (e.g., the transmitting unit) is an interface circuit of the apparatus for transmitting a signal to other apparatuses. For example, when the device is implemented in the form of a chip, the transmitting unit is an interface circuit for the chip to transmit signals to other chips or devices.

An embodiment of the present application further provides a communication apparatus, configured to implement the unit (or means) of each step performed by the terminal device in any of the above methods, or implement the unit (or means) of each step performed by the access network device in any of the above methods, or implement the unit (or means) of each step performed by the mobility management network element in any of the above methods. The communication device may include a processor and a memory for storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the device to perform the method as described in the preceding aspects. The apparatus may be an access network device or a chip for an access network device, or a terminal device or a chip for a terminal device, or a mobility management network element or a chip for a mobility management network element.

Fig. 8 is a schematic structural diagram of a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present application. The terminal device is used for realizing the operation of the terminal device in the above embodiment. As shown in fig. 8, the terminal device includes: antenna 810, radio frequency device 820, signal processing section 830. Antenna 810 is coupled to radio 820. In the downlink direction, the radio frequency device 820 receives information sent by the access network equipment through the antenna 810, and sends the information sent by the access network equipment to the signal processing part 830 for processing. In the uplink direction, the signal processing part 830 processes the information of the terminal device and sends the information to the radio frequency device 820, and the radio frequency device 820 processes the information of the terminal device and sends the information to the access network device through the antenna 810.

The signal processing section 830 is used to implement processing of each communication protocol layer of data. The signal processing part 830 may be a subsystem of the terminal device, and the terminal device may further include other subsystems, such as a central processing subsystem, for implementing processing on an operating system and an application layer of the terminal device; for another example, the peripheral subsystem is used to implement connections to other devices. The signal processing part 830 may be a separately provided chip. Alternatively, the above means may be located in the signal processing section 830.

Signal processing section 830 may include one or more processing elements 8031, including, for example, a master CPU and other integrated circuits, and interface circuits 8033. In addition, the signal processing part 830 may further include a memory element 8032. The storage element 8032 is used to store data and programs, and the program for executing the method executed by the terminal device in the above method may or may not be stored in the storage element 8032, for example, in a memory other than the signal processing section 830, and the signal processing section 830 loads the program into a buffer for use when in use. The interface circuit 8033 is used to communicate with the device. The above means may be located in the signal processing section 830, and the signal processing section 830 may be implemented by a chip comprising at least one processing element for performing the steps of any of the methods performed by the above terminal equipment and interface circuitry for communicating with other means. In one implementation, the unit for implementing each step in the above method may be implemented in the form of a processing element scheduler, for example, the apparatus includes a processing element and a storage element, and the processing element calls a program stored in the storage element to execute the method executed by the terminal device in the above method embodiment. The memory elements may be memory elements with processing elements on the same chip, i.e. on-chip memory elements.

In another implementation, the program for performing the method performed by the terminal device in the above method may be a memory element on a different chip than the processing element, i.e. an off-chip memory element. At this time, the processing element calls or loads a program from the off-chip storage element onto the on-chip storage element to call and execute the method executed by the terminal device in the above method embodiment.

In yet another implementation, the unit of the terminal device for implementing the steps of the above method may be configured as one or more processing elements, which are disposed on the signal processing portion 830, where the processing elements may be integrated circuits, for example: one or more ASICs, or one or more DSPs, or one or more FPGAs, or a combination of these types of integrated circuits. These integrated circuits may be integrated together to form a chip.

The units implementing the steps of the above method can be integrated together and implemented in the form of an SOC chip for implementing the above method. At least one processing element and a storage element can be integrated in the chip, and the processing element calls the stored program of the storage element to realize the method executed by the terminal equipment; or, at least one integrated circuit may be integrated in the chip, so as to implement the method executed by the above terminal device; alternatively, the above implementation modes may be combined, the functions of the partial units are implemented in the form of a processing element calling program, and the functions of the partial units are implemented in the form of an integrated circuit.

It is seen that the above apparatus may comprise at least one processing element and interface circuitry, wherein the at least one processing element is configured to perform the method performed by any one of the terminal devices provided by the above method embodiments. The processing element may: namely, the method calls the program stored in the storage element to execute part or all of the steps executed by the terminal equipment; it is also possible to: that is, some or all of the steps performed by the terminal device are performed by integrated logic circuits of hardware in the processor element in combination with the instructions; of course, some or all of the steps performed by the terminal device may be performed in combination with the first manner and the second manner.

The processing elements herein, like those described above, may be a general purpose processor, such as a CPU, or one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the above methods, such as: one or more ASICs, or one or more microprocessors DSP, or one or more FPGAs, etc., or a combination of at least two of these integrated circuit forms. The storage element may be a memory or a combination of a plurality of storage elements.

Fig. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of an access network device according to an embodiment of the present application. The access network device is used for realizing the operation of the access network device in the above embodiment. As shown in fig. 9, the access network device includes: antenna 910, rf device 920, and baseband device 930. Antenna 910 is coupled to radio 920. In the uplink direction, the rf device 920 receives information transmitted by the terminal device through the antenna 910, and transmits the information transmitted by the terminal device to the baseband device 930 for processing. In the downlink direction, the baseband device 930 processes the information of the terminal device and sends the information to the radio frequency device 920, and the radio frequency device 920 processes the information of the terminal device and sends the information to the terminal device through the antenna 910.

The baseband device 930 may include one or more processing elements 931, for example, including a host CPU and other integrated circuits, and may also include an interface 933. The baseband device 930 may further include a memory element 932, the memory element 932 being configured to store programs and data; interface 933 is configured to exchange information with rf device 920, and is, for example, a Common Public Radio Interface (CPRI). The above means for the access network apparatus may be located at the baseband means 930, for example, the above means for the access network apparatus may be a chip on the baseband means 930, the chip comprising at least one processing element for performing the steps of any of the methods performed by the above access network apparatus and interface circuitry for communicating with other devices. In one implementation, the unit of the access network device for implementing each step in the above method may be implemented in the form of a processing element scheduler, for example, an apparatus for the access network device includes a processing element and a storage element, and the processing element calls a program stored in the storage element to execute the method executed by the access network device in the above method embodiment. The memory elements may be memory elements on the same chip as the processing element, i.e. on-chip memory elements, or may be memory elements on a different chip than the processing element, i.e. off-chip memory elements.

In another implementation, the unit of the access network device for implementing the steps in the above method may be configured as one or more processing elements, which are disposed on the baseband device, where the processing elements may be integrated circuits, for example: one or more ASICs, or one or more DSPs, or one or more FPGAs, or a combination of these types of integrated circuits. These integrated circuits may be integrated together to form a chip.

The units of the access network device for implementing the steps in the above method may be integrated together and implemented in the form of an SOC, for example, the baseband device includes the SOC chip for implementing the above method. At least one processing element and a storage element can be integrated in the chip, and the method executed by the access network equipment is realized in the form that the processing element calls the stored program of the storage element; or, at least one integrated circuit may be integrated in the chip, for implementing the method executed by the above access network device; or, the above implementation manners may be combined, the functions of the partial units are implemented in the form of a processing element calling program, and the functions of the partial units are implemented in the form of an integrated circuit.

It can be seen that the above apparatus for an access network device may comprise at least one processing element and interface circuitry, wherein the at least one processing element is configured to perform the method performed by any one of the access network devices provided by the above method embodiments. The processing element may: namely, the method calls the program stored in the storage element to execute part or all of the steps executed by the access network equipment; it is also possible to: that is, some or all of the steps performed by the access network device are performed by way of integrated logic circuitry of hardware in the processor element in combination with instructions; of course, some or all of the steps performed by the above access network device may also be performed in combination with the first manner and the second manner.

Referring to fig. 10, a schematic structural diagram of a mobility management network element provided in an embodiment of the present application is used to implement operations of a first mobility management network element, a second mobility management network element, or a mobility management network element in the foregoing embodiments. As shown in fig. 10, the mobility management network element includes: a processor 1010, and an interface 1030. Optionally, a memory 1020 is also included. The processor 1010, memory 1020, and interface 1030 may be connected by signals.

The method performed by the mobility management element in the above embodiments may be implemented by the processor 1010 invoking a program stored in the memory 1020. That is, the apparatus for a mobility management network element comprises a memory for storing a program that is invoked by the processor to perform the method performed by the mobility management network element in the above method embodiment and a processor. The processor here may be an integrated circuit with signal processing capabilities, such as a CPU. The apparatus for a mobility management network element may be implemented by one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the above method. For example: one or more ASICs, or one or more microprocessors DSP, or one or more FPGAs, etc., or a combination of at least two of these integrated circuit forms. Alternatively, the above implementations may be combined.

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 in a computer readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer readable storage medium to another, for example, from one website site, computer, server, or data center to another website site, computer, server, or data center via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.). The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device, including one or more integrated servers, data centers, and the like. 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.

The various illustrative logical units and circuits described in this application may be implemented or operated upon by design of a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor, an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a digital signal processor and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a digital signal processor core, or any other similar configuration.

In one or more exemplary designs, the functions described herein may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination of the three. If implemented in software, the functions may be stored on or transmitted over as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media includes both computer storage media and communication media that facilitate transfer of a computer program from one place to another. Storage media may be any available media that can be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer. For example, such computer-readable media can include, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which can be used to carry or store program code in the form of instructions or data structures and which can be read by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer, or a general-purpose or special-purpose processor. Additionally, any connection is properly termed a computer-readable medium, and, thus, is included if the software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source over a coaxial cable, fiber optic computer, twisted pair, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL), or wirelessly, e.g., infrared, radio, and microwave. The disk (disk) and Disc (Disc) include compact Disc, laser Disc, optical Disc, Digital Versatile Disc (DVD), floppy disk and blu-ray Disc, where the disk usually reproduces data magnetically, and the Disc usually reproduces data optically with laser. Combinations of the above may also be included in the computer-readable medium.

Those skilled in the art will recognize that in one or more of the examples described above, the functions described herein may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, the functions may be stored on or transmitted over as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media includes both computer storage media and communication media including any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to another. A storage media may be any available media that can be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer.

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

Claims

A method of communication, comprising:

a second mobility management network element receives a first message from a terminal device, wherein the first message includes a first identifier corresponding to a first user and a second identifier corresponding to a second user, the first message is used for indicating establishment of association between the first user and the second user, the first user corresponds to a first Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM), the second user corresponds to a second USIM, and the first USIM and the second USIM are both located in the terminal device;

the second mobility management network element does not contain the context of the first user corresponding to the first identifier, the second mobility management network element obtains the identifier and/or the address information of the first mobility management network element corresponding to the first identifier, and the first mobility management network element is a mobility management network element providing service for the first user;

the second mobility management network element sends the first message to the first mobility management network element.
The method of claim 1, wherein the first identity is a first user permanent identity, SUPI, or a first user hidden identity, SUCI, or a first globally unique temporary identity, GUTI, and the second identity is a second SUPI, or a second SUCI, or a second GUTI.
The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein before the second mobility management network element obtaining the identifier and/or the address information of the first mobility management network element corresponding to the first identifier, the method further comprises:

and the second mobility management network element determines that the first USIM and the second USIM correspond to the same public land mobile network PLMN.
The method of any of claims 1-3, wherein the first identification is a first SUCI for the first user;

the acquiring, by the second mobility management network element, the identifier and/or the address information of the first mobility management network element corresponding to the first identifier includes:

the second mobility management network element determines a first network element corresponding to the first user according to the first SUCI;

the second mobility management network element sends the first SUCI to the first network element;

the second mobility management network element receiving the identification and/or address information of the first mobility management network element from the first network element;

the first network element is an authentication network element, and the identifier and/or address information of the first mobility management network element is from a data management network element corresponding to the first user; or, the first network element is a data management network element.
The method of claim 4, wherein the first network element is a data management network element;

the sending, by the second mobility management network element, the first sui to the first network element includes:

the second mobility management network element sends a registration request to the first network element, where the registration request includes the first SUCI, and the registration request is used to request that the second user be registered to the data management network element;

the second mobility management network element receiving, from the first network element, the identifier and/or address information of the first mobility management network element, including:

the second mobility management network element receives a registration response from the first network element, the registration response including identification and/or address information of the first mobility management network element.
The method of any of claims 1-3, wherein the first identity is a first SUPI of the first user;

the acquiring, by the second mobility management network element, the identifier and/or the address information of the first mobility management network element corresponding to the first identifier includes:

the second mobility management network element determines a data management network element corresponding to the first user according to the first SUPI;

the second mobility management element sending the first SUPI to the data management element;

the second mobility management network element receives the identification and/or address information of the first mobility management network element from the data management network element.
The method of claim 6, wherein the second mobility management element sending the first SUPI to the data management element comprises:

the second mobility management network element sending a registration request to the data management network element, the registration request including the first SUPI, the registration request requesting that the second user be registered to the data management network element;

the second mobility management network element receiving, from the data management network element, the identifier and/or address information of the first mobility management network element, including:

the second mobility management network element receives a registration response from the data management network element, the registration response including the identification and/or address information of the first mobility management network element.
The method of any of claims 1-3, wherein the first identity is a first GUTI of the first user;

the acquiring, by the second mobility management network element, the identifier and/or the address information of the first mobility management network element corresponding to the first identifier includes:

and the second mobility management network element determines the identifier and/or the address information of the first mobility management network element according to the first GUTI.
The method of any of claims 1-8, wherein prior to the second mobility management element sending the first message to the first mobility management element, further comprising:

and the second mobility management network element determines that the first mobility management network element meets the slicing service requirement of the second user.
A method of communication, comprising:

a first mobility management network element receives a first message, wherein the first message comprises a first identifier corresponding to a first user and a second identifier corresponding to a second user, the first user corresponds to a first Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM), the second user corresponds to a second USIM, both the first USIM and the second USIM are located in terminal equipment, and the first mobility management network element is a mobility management network element for providing service for the first user;

and the first mobility management network element establishes association between the first user and the second user according to the first message.
The method of claim 10, wherein the first mobility management network element establishing the association between the first user and the second user comprises:

the first mobility management network element stores said second identity in the context of said first user and said first identity in the context of said second user.
The method of claim 11, wherein the context of the first user further comprises one or more of: the connection management state of the first user, the service priority information of the first user and the service information of the first user;

the context of the second user further includes one or more of: the connection management state of the second user, the service priority information of the second user, and the service information of the second user.
The method of claim 11 or 12, further comprising:

the first mobility management network element receiving a context of the second user from a second mobility management network element; or,

and the first mobility management network element generates the context of the second user according to the first message.
The method of any of claims 10-13, wherein receiving the first message by the first mobility management network element comprises:

the first mobility management network element receives the first message from a second mobility management network element or an access network device.
The method of any of claims 10-14, further comprising:

and the first mobility management network element executes control over the first user according to the context of the first user and the context of the second user.
The method of claim 15, wherein the context of the first user comprises the first user being in an idle state, the context of the second user comprises the second user being in an idle state;

the first mobility management network element performs control over the first user according to the context of the first user and the context of the second user, including:

if the first user paging fails, the first mobility management network element pages the first user according to a paging strategy;

the paging policy includes at least one of: the paging attempt times are less than the paging attempt times of a single USIM, and the expanded paging range is less than the expanded paging range of the single USIM; or,

the paging policy includes at least one of: the paging attempt times are more than that of a single USIM, and the time interval between the next paging attempt and the current paging attempt is increased.
The method of claim 15, wherein the context of the first user comprises a priority of the first user's pending service when the first user is in an idle state, and the context of the second user comprises a priority of the second user's ongoing service when the second user is in a connected state;

the first mobility management network element performs control over the first user according to the context of the first user and the context of the second user, including:

if the priority of the service to be initiated of the first user is lower than the priority of the ongoing service of the second user, the first mobility management network element determines not to initiate paging for the service to be initiated of the first user.
A method of communication, comprising:

the method comprises the steps that terminal equipment sends a first message, wherein the first message comprises a first identification corresponding to a first user and a second identification corresponding to a second user, the first message is used for indicating establishment of association between the first user and the second user, the first user corresponds to a first Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM), the second user corresponds to a second USIM, and the first USIM and the second USIM are both located at the terminal equipment;

and the terminal equipment receives a second message, wherein the second message is used for indicating that the association between the first user and the second user is successfully established.
The method of claim 18, further comprising:

the terminal equipment acquires a first global unique temporary identifier GUTI of the first user;

the terminal equipment acquires the identifier and/or the address information of the mobility management network element corresponding to the first user according to the first GUTI;

and the terminal equipment sends the identification and/or the address information of the mobility management network element corresponding to the first user.
The method of claim 18 or 19, wherein before the terminal device sends the first message, further comprising:

and the terminal equipment determines that the first USIM and the second USIM correspond to the same public land mobile network PLMN.
A method of communication, comprising:

the method comprises the steps that access network equipment receives a first message from terminal equipment and identification and/or address information of a mobility management network element, wherein the first message comprises a first identification corresponding to a first user and a second identification corresponding to a second user, the first message is used for indicating establishment of association between the first user and the second user, the first user corresponds to a first Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM), the second user corresponds to a second USIM, the first USIM and the second USIM are both located in the terminal equipment, and the mobility management network element is a mobility management network element for providing services for the first user;

and the access network equipment sends the first message to the mobility management network element according to the identification and/or the address information of the mobility management network element.
The method of claim 21, wherein the first identity is a first user permanent identity, SUPI, or a first user hidden identity, SUCI, or a first globally unique temporary identity, GUTI, and the second identity is a second SUPI, or a second SUCI, or a second GUTI.
A communications apparatus, comprising: a processor and interface circuitry for communicating with other devices, the processor being configured to perform the method of any of claims 1-9.
A communications apparatus, comprising: a processor and interface circuitry for communicating with other devices, the processor being configured to perform the method of any of claims 10-17.
A communications apparatus, comprising: a processor and interface circuitry, the interface circuitry to communicate with other devices, the processor to perform the method of any of claims 18-20.
A communications apparatus, comprising: a processor and interface circuitry for communicating with other devices, the processor being configured to perform the method of claim 21 or 22.
A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that the computer-readable storage medium stores a program which, when invoked by a processor, performs the method of any of claims 1-22.
A computer program, characterized in that the method of any of claims 1-22 is performed when said program is called by a processor.
A communication apparatus, applied to a second mobility management network element, comprising:

a receiving unit, configured to receive a first message from a terminal device, where the first message includes a first identifier corresponding to a first user and a second identifier corresponding to a second user, the first message is used to indicate establishment of an association between the first user and the second user, the first user corresponds to a first universal subscriber identity module USIM, the second user corresponds to a second USIM, and both the first USIM and the second USIM are located in the terminal device;

a determining unit, configured to obtain an identifier and/or address information of a first mobility management network element corresponding to the first identifier, where the second mobility management network element does not include the context of the first user corresponding to the first identifier, and the first mobility management network element is a mobility management network element that provides a service for the first user;

a sending unit, configured to send the first message to the first mobility management network element.
A communication apparatus applied to a mobility management network element, comprising:

a receiving unit, configured to receive a first message, where the first message includes a first identifier corresponding to a first user and a second identifier corresponding to a second user, the first user corresponds to a first universal subscriber identity module USIM, the second user corresponds to a second USIM, both the first USIM and the second USIM are located in the terminal equipment, and the mobility management network element is a mobility management network element that provides a service for the first user;

and the association unit is used for establishing association between the first user and the second user according to the first message.