CN115529586A

CN115529586A - Communication method, device and related equipment

Info

Publication number: CN115529586A
Application number: CN202110706545.4A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 雷显调; 沙桐; 常俊仁; 强鹂; 李洪
Original assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Current assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Priority date: 2021-06-24
Filing date: 2021-06-24
Publication date: 2022-12-27
Also published as: WO2022267927A1

Abstract

The embodiment of the application provides a communication method, a communication device and related equipment. The terminal device receives a first message, and the first message is used for requesting the wireless capability of the terminal device. And the terminal equipment sends a second message, wherein the second message is used for indicating the wireless capability of the terminal equipment, and the wireless capability of the terminal equipment comprises that the terminal equipment does not support connection of EPC through E-UTRA. Therefore, when the terminal equipment does not support the access of the EPC through the E-UTRA, the terminal equipment indicates that the current wireless capability of the terminal equipment does not support the EUTRA-EPC through the second message, so that the terminal equipment is prevented from being redirected to a network which is not supported by the terminal equipment by mistake through the wireless access network equipment.

Description

Communication method, device and related equipment

Technical Field

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

Background

In a wireless communication system, a network side needs to know the capability of a terminal device and perform appropriate scheduling according to the capability of the terminal device, thereby ensuring correct processing of data. The capability of the terminal device may be carried in the capability information of the terminal device, and sent to the network side in the registration process of the terminal device. The capability of the terminal device mainly comprises the following two aspects: the wireless capabilities of the terminal device and the core network capabilities of the terminal device. The wireless capability of the terminal device includes the radio frequency capability of the terminal device, the capability supported by each protocol layer in the access layer, and the like. Wherein the radio capability of the terminal device distinguishes between different radio access technology types (RAT-types). For example, when the RAT-type is a New Radio (NR), the radio capability of the terminal device is the NR radio capability. When the RAT-type is evolved universal terrestrial radio access technology (EUTRA), the wireless capability of the terminal device is the EUTRA wireless capability.

When the wireless capabilities of the terminal device change, the following situations may exist: the terminal device reports the wireless capability of the terminal device according to the existing flow, but the current actual wireless capability of the terminal device may not match the wireless capability reported by the terminal device, thereby affecting the user experience.

Disclosure of Invention

The embodiment of the application provides a communication method, a communication device and related equipment, wherein the communication method can keep the wireless capability of the terminal equipment reported by the terminal equipment synchronous with the wireless capability actually supported by the terminal equipment.

In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method. The terminal device receives a first message, and the first message is used for requesting the wireless capability of the terminal device. And the terminal equipment sends a second message, wherein the second message is used for indicating the wireless capability of the terminal equipment, and the wireless capability of the terminal equipment comprises that the terminal equipment does not support connection of EPC through E-UTRA. Therefore, when the terminal equipment does not support the access of the EPC through the E-UTRA, the terminal equipment explicitly indicates that the current wireless capability of the terminal equipment does not support the EUTRA-EPC through the second message, so that the situation that the terminal equipment is mistakenly redirected or switched into a network which is not supported by the terminal equipment by the wireless access network equipment is avoided, and the service interruption and the influence on the user experience are avoided. And when the terminal equipment supports connection of 5GC through E-UTRA, after the terminal equipment enables the EUTRA-EPC capability or the S1 mode, the terminal equipment can report that the EUTRA-5GC is supported and the EUTRA-EPC capability is not supported, and at the moment, the wireless access network equipment can still redirect or switch the terminal equipment to the EUTRA-5GC network, so that the user experience is favorably ensured, and the service continuity is ensured.

In one possible design, the terminal device determines that the terminal device supports connection of 5G core network 5GC over E-UTRA and does not support connection of EPC over E-UTRA. That is, when the terminal device supports EUTRA-5GC, the terminal device disabling the EUTRA-EPC capability does not affect the EUTRA-5GC capability of the terminal device.

In one possible design, the terminal device sends the second message when the terminal device supports 5GC over E-UTRA connection and does not support EPC over E-UTRA connection. Wherein the second message includes the first radio capability information element and does not include the E-UTRA radio capability information element. It can be seen that the terminal device adds a first radio capability information element in the second message, where the first radio capability information element is used to indicate that the terminal device supports EUTRA-5GC. And the terminal equipment reports the first wireless capability cell to the wireless access network equipment, and does not report the E-UTRA wireless capability cell, so that the wireless access network equipment knows that the terminal equipment supports EUTRA-5GC and does not support EUTRA-EPC.

In one possible design, the wireless capability of the terminal device further indicates that the terminal device supports 5GC over E-UTRA connection. It can be seen that when a terminal device supports EUTRA-5GC, the E-UTRA wireless capabilities of the terminal device can be divided into EUTRA-5GC capabilities and EUTRA-EPC capabilities.

In one possible design, the terminal device disables E-UTRA capabilities connected to the EPC through E-UTRA and retains E-UTRA capabilities connected to 5GC through E-UTRA. It can be seen that when the terminal device supports EUTRA-5GC, the terminal device disabling the EUTRA-EPC capability does not affect the EUTRA-5GC capability of the terminal device.

In one possible design, the E-UTRA capabilities of the terminal device include a first E-UTRA capability and a second E-UTRA capability. When the terminal device disables the capability of connecting to the EPC through the E-UTRA and retains the capability of connecting to the 5GC through the E-UTRA, the terminal device disables one of the first E-UTRA capability or the second E-UTRA capability. As can be seen, the terminal device can add new identifiers (the first E-UTRA capability and the second E-UTRA capability) to distinguish the EUTRA-EPC capability and the EUTRA-5GC capability of the terminal device.

In one possible design, the second message includes a first radio capability information element indicating that the terminal device supports over E-UTRA connection 5GC.

In one possible design, the second message includes an E-UTRA radio capability information element to indicate that the terminal device does not support connecting the EPC through E-UTRA. The E-UTRA radio capability information element is also used to indicate to the terminal device to support 5GC over the E-UTRA connection.

In one possible design, the terminal device sends the third message before the terminal device receives the first message. The third message is used for indicating that the terminal device does not support an S1 mode, and the S1 mode is that the terminal device accesses the EPC network through E-UTRA by using an S1 interface. It can be seen that, when the terminal device determines to disable the S1 mode, or the terminal device determines to disable the EUTRA-EPC capability, the third message reported by the terminal device will explicitly indicate to the core network device that the terminal device does not support the S1 mode.

In one possible design, the third message is also used to indicate a change in wireless capability of the terminal device. It can be seen that, when the terminal device determines to disable the S1 mode, or the terminal device determines to disable the EUTRA-EPC capability, the NAS layer of the terminal device indicates to the AS layer to disable the EUTRA-EPC capability, triggers the terminal device to update the radio capability, and indicates to the network device a radio capability change in the third message. For example, the third message may be a mobile registration update request message carrying a wireless capability update field.

In a second aspect, embodiments of the present application provide another communication method. The wireless access network equipment sends a first message, and the first message is used for requesting the wireless capability of the terminal equipment. And the wireless access network equipment receives a second message, wherein the second message is used for indicating the wireless capability of the terminal equipment. The wireless capabilities of the terminal device include that the terminal device does not support connection of the EPC through E-UTRA. Therefore, when the terminal equipment does not support the access of the EPC through the E-UTRA, the terminal equipment explicitly indicates that the current wireless capability of the terminal equipment does not support the EUTRA-EPC through the second message, so that the terminal equipment is prevented from being redirected to a network which is not supported by the terminal equipment by mistake through the wireless access network equipment.

In one possible design, the radio access network device determines that the terminal device supports 5GC over the E-UTRA connection. In response to the second message, the radio access network device schedules the terminal device to access the 5GC. It can be seen that when the radio access network device determines that the terminal device does not support EUTRA-EPC, the radio access network device does not schedule the terminal device to access EPC.

In one possible design, the second message includes an E-UTRA radio capability information element to indicate that the terminal device does not support connection of EPC over E-UTRA. The E-UTRA radio capability information element is also used to indicate to the terminal device to support 5GC over the E-UTRA connection.

In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication apparatus, which includes a transceiver unit. The receiving and sending unit is used for receiving a first message, and the first message is used for requesting the wireless capability of the terminal equipment. The transceiving unit is further configured to send a second message, where the second message is used to indicate the wireless capability of the terminal device. Wherein the wireless capability of the terminal equipment comprises that the terminal equipment does not support connection of EPC through E-UTRA.

In one possible design, the communication device further includes a processing unit. The processing unit is used for judging that the terminal equipment supports connection of a 5G core network 5GC through E-UTRA and does not support connection of an EPC through E-UTRA.

In one possible design, the transceiving unit is configured to send the second message when the terminal device supports 5GC over E-UTRA connection and does not support EPC over E-UTRA connection. The second message includes the first radio capability information element and does not include the E-UTRA radio capability information element.

In one possible design, the wireless capability of the terminal device further indicates that the terminal device supports 5GC over E-UTRA connection.

In one possible design, the processing unit is also to disable E-UTRA capability connected to the EPC through E-UTRA, and retain E-UTRA capability connected to the 5GC through E-UTRA.

In one possible design, the E-UTRA capabilities of the terminal device include a first E-UTRA capability and a second E-UTRA capability. The processing unit is configured to disable one of the first E-UTRA capability or the second E-UTRA capability.

In one possible design, the second message includes an E-UTRA radio capability information element to indicate that the terminal device does not support an EPC over E-UTRA connection, the E-UTRA radio capability information element also to indicate that the terminal device supports 5GC over E-UTRA connection.

In a possible design, the transceiving unit is further configured to send a third message, where the third message is used to indicate that the terminal device does not support the S1 mode. The S1 mode is that the terminal equipment accesses the EPC network through E-UTRA by utilizing an S1 interface.

In one possible design, the third message is also used to indicate a change in wireless capability of the terminal device.

In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides another communication apparatus, including a transceiver unit. The receiving and sending unit is used for sending a first message, and the first message is used for requesting the wireless capability of the terminal equipment. The transceiving unit is further configured to receive a second message, where the second message is used to indicate the wireless capability of the terminal device. Wherein the wireless capability of the terminal device includes that the terminal device does not support connection of the EPC over E-UTRA.

In one possible design, the communication apparatus further includes a processing unit configured to determine that the terminal device supports 5GC over an E-UTRA connection. In response to the second message, the processing unit is configured to schedule the terminal device to access the 5GC.

In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a terminal device. The terminal device may be a device or a chip or circuit provided in a device. The terminal device comprises means and/or modules for performing the communication method provided in any of the possible designs of the first aspect described above, so that the advantageous effects of the communication method provided in the first aspect can also be achieved.

In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a radio access network device. The radio access network device may be a device or a chip or circuit disposed in a device. The radio access network device comprises means and/or modules for performing the communication method provided in any of the possible designs of the second aspect, and thus the advantageous effects of the communication method provided in the second aspect can also be achieved.

In a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication system, where the communication system includes the communication apparatus or terminal device as provided in the third or fifth aspect, and the communication apparatus or radio access network device as provided in the fourth or sixth aspect.

In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an apparatus, which includes a processor. Wherein the processor is configured to couple with the memory, read the instructions in the memory, and execute the method in any possible implementation manner of the first aspect or the second aspect according to the instructions.

In a ninth aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a computer-readable storage medium, which includes a program or instructions, when the program or instructions are run on a computer, the program or instructions causing the computer to perform the method in any one of the possible implementation manners of the first aspect or the second aspect.

In a tenth aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a computer program or a computer program product, which includes code or instructions, when the code or instructions are executed on a computer, cause the computer to execute the method in any one of the possible implementations of the first aspect or the second aspect.

In an eleventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a chip or a chip system, where the chip or the chip system includes at least one processor and an interface, the interface and the at least one processor are interconnected by a line, and the at least one processor is configured to execute a computer program or instructions to perform the method described in any one of the possible implementation manners of the first aspect or the second aspect.

The interface in the chip may be an input/output interface, a pin, a circuit, or the like.

The system-on-chip in the above aspect may be a system-on-chip (SOC), a baseband chip, and the like, where the baseband chip may include a processor, a channel encoder, a digital signal processor, a modem, an interface module, and the like.

In one possible implementation, the chip or chip system described above in this application further comprises at least one memory having instructions stored therein. The memory may be a storage unit inside the chip, such as a register, a cache, etc., or may be a storage unit of the chip (e.g., a read-only memory, a random access memory, etc.).

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method when a second message sent by the terminal device in the embodiment of fig. 2 provided in an embodiment of the present application carries indication information, and the indication information indicates that the terminal device does not support connection of an EPC through an E-UTRA;

fig. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method when a first radio capability cell is newly added to a second message sent by a terminal device in the embodiment of fig. 2 and an E-UTRA radio capability cell is not included in the second message according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present application;

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

fig. 8 is a schematic diagram of a radio access network device according to an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

In the embodiments of the present application, words such as "exemplary" or "for example" are used to mean serving as an example, instance, or illustration. Any embodiment or design described herein as "exemplary" or "e.g.," is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments or designs. Rather, use of the word "exemplary" or "such as" is intended to present concepts related in a concrete fashion.

In the embodiments of the present application, the terms "first", "second", and the like are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "second" or "first" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature.

It is to be understood that the terminology used in the description of the various described examples herein is for the purpose of describing particular examples only and is not intended to be limiting. As used in the description of the various described examples and the appended claims, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

It should also be understood that, in the embodiments of the present application, the size of the serial number of each process does not mean the execution sequence, and the execution sequence of each process should be determined by its function and inherent logic, and should not constitute any limitation to the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

It should also be understood that determining B from a does not mean determining B from a alone, but may also be determined from a and/or other information.

It will be further understood that the terms "comprises," "comprising," "includes," and/or "including," when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application.

In a wireless communication system, a network side needs to know the capability of a terminal device and perform appropriate scheduling according to the capability of the terminal device, thereby ensuring correct processing of data. The capability of the terminal device may be carried in the capability information of the terminal device, and sent to the network side in the registration process of the terminal device. When the capability of the terminal device changes, the terminal device may notify the network device to update the recorded capability information of the terminal device through a mobile registration update procedure or a Tracking Area Update (TAU) procedure.

The capability of the terminal device mainly comprises the following two aspects: the wireless capabilities of the terminal device and the core network capabilities of the terminal device. The wireless capability of the terminal device is a capability concerned by an Access Stratum (AS), and is transmitted over a wireless air interface, where the wireless capability includes radio frequency capability of the terminal device (for example, frequency points supported by the terminal device, frequency band combinations used for carrier aggregation, and the like), capabilities supported by each protocol layer in the access stratum, and the like. The radio capability of the terminal device distinguishes between different radio access technology types (RAT-types). For example, when the RAT-type is NR, the radio capability of the terminal device is NR radio capability. When the RAT-type is Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (EUTRA), the wireless capability of the terminal device is the EUTRA wireless capability. The core network capability of the terminal equipment is a non-access stratum(non-access stratum, NAS) concerns. For example, the S1 network capability of the terminal device refers to a capability of the terminal device connecting to an Evolved Packet Core (EPC) network through the access network, and the N1 network capability of the terminal device refers to a capability of the terminal device connecting to a fifth generation mobile communication core (the 5) network through the access network ^th generation core network,5 GC).

Sometimes terminal equipment, such as in fourth generation mobile communications (the 4) ^th generation, 4G) network, or a TAU failure (e.g. a 5 consecutive TAU failure on 4G), the terminal device will disable (disable) the EUTRA capability, i.e. the terminal device does not support the EUTRA capability. For a terminal device supporting access to the 5GC core network through EUTRA, when the terminal device disables the EUTRA capability, the capability of the terminal to access the 5GC core network through EUTRA (EUTRA-5 GC capability), that is, the capability of the terminal device to only disable access to the EPC core network through EUTRA (EUTRA-EPC capability), cannot be affected. However, since both the EUTRA-EPC Capability and the EUTRA-5GC Capability are reported to the network device through the same UE-EUTRA-Capability cell, at this time, if the terminal device still reports the UE-EUTRA-Capability to the radio access network device, the radio access network device receives the UE-EUTRA-Capability and considers that the terminal device still has the EUTRA-EPC Capability, so that redirection or handover to the EUTRA-EPC may be initiated by mistake. Resulting in terminal devices being redirected or switched to an unsupported network, thereby interrupting ongoing traffic and affecting user experience. Moreover, when the terminal device is redirected or switched to an unsupported network, the terminal device will fall back to the original network, and at this time, the redirection or switching condition may be satisfied, and the network instructs the terminal device to redirect or switch to the unsupported network, so that ping-pong occurs, the terminal service is frequently interrupted, and the user experience is seriously affected.

In order to solve the above problem, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method. The communication method can keep the synchronization of the wireless capability of the terminal equipment reported by the terminal equipment to the wireless access network equipment and the wireless capability actually supported by the terminal equipment, and avoid that the wireless access network equipment redirects the terminal equipment to a network which is not supported by the terminal equipment by mistake.

The communication method provided by the embodiment of the application is applied to a 4G-5G interoperation network architecture shown in figure 1. The 4G-5G interoperation network architecture shown in fig. 1 includes a terminal device, a 4G access network (EUTRA), a 5G access network (NG-RAN), and an operator network.

The terminal equipment has a wireless transceiving function, can be deployed on land and comprises indoor or outdoor equipment, a handheld equipment, a wearable equipment or a vehicle-mounted equipment; 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 UE, a mobile phone (mobile phone), a tablet computer (Pad), a computer with wireless transceiving function, a Virtual Reality (VR) terminal device, an Augmented Reality (AR) terminal device, a wireless terminal in industrial control (industrial control), a vehicle-mounted terminal device, a wireless terminal in self driving (self driving), a wireless terminal in remote medical (remote medical), a wireless terminal in smart grid (smart grid), a wireless terminal in transportation safety (transportation safety), a wireless terminal in smart city (smart city), a wireless terminal in smart home (smart home), a wearable terminal device, or the like. The terminal devices may be fixed or mobile.

The access network can provide a network access function for authorized users in a specific area, and can determine transmission tunnels with different qualities according to the level of the users, the service requirements and the like so as to transmit user data. The access network forwards control signals and user data between the terminal equipment and the core network. The access network may include access network equipment (or referred to as access equipment), which may be, for example, a base station (e.g., eNB) in an LTE system or a base station (e.g., NG-RAN) in an NR system, a base station for 3GPP subsequent evolution, an access node in a WiFi system, a wireless relay node, a wireless backhaul node, and the like. The base station may be: macro base stations, micro base stations, pico base stations, small stations, relay stations, or balloon stations, etc.

Wherein, the operator network comprises one or more of the following network elements: an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), a Home Subscriber Server (HSS), a Unified Data Management (UDM) network element, a Policy Control Function (PCF) network element, a Session Management Function (SMF) network element, a PDN gateway control plane (PGW-C) network element, a User Plane Function (UPF) network element, a PDN gateway user plane (PGW-U), a Serving Gateway (SGW), an access and mobility management function (AMF) network element, a Mobility Management Entity (MME), and the like. That is, the 4G-5G interworking network shown in fig. 1 includes both the 4G core network element and the 5G core network element.

Fig. 2 is a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application, where the communication method is implemented by interaction between a terminal device and a radio access network device, and includes the following steps:

a wireless access network device sends a first message, wherein the first message is used for requesting the wireless capability of a terminal device; correspondingly, the terminal equipment receives the first message.

Wherein the radio capabilities of the terminal device include E-UTRA radio capabilities. The E-UTRA radio capabilities of the terminal device are divided into EUTRA-EPC capabilities and EUTRA-5GC capabilities. Specifically, the EUTRA-EPC capability means that the terminal equipment supports connection of EPC through E-UTRA. EUTRA-5GC capability means that the terminal device supports 5GC over an E-UTRA connection. For example, in the 4G-5G interworking network shown in FIG. 1, when the E-UTRA wireless capabilities of the terminal device include a EUTRA-EPC capability and a EUTRA-5GC capability, it means that the terminal device supports connecting both EPC through E-UTRA and 5GC through E-UTRA. It will be appreciated that as the network evolves, the E-UTRA radio capabilities of the terminal device may also include EUTRA-6GC capabilities, i.e. the terminal device supports connection to the 6G core network via E-UTRA.

In this embodiment, it is assumed that the terminal device has an abnormality in 4G (for example, the number of TAU attempts reaches 5), the terminal device disables the EUTRA capability, and resides in the 5G network, and the NAS layer of the terminal device indicates to the AS layer to disable the EUTRA capability. It is understood that the wireless capabilities of the terminal devices change. Wherein when the terminal device supports EUTRA-5GC, the terminal device disables EUTRA capability and does not affect the capability of the terminal device to connect to the 5GC through EUTRA. That is, the terminal device enables the E-UTRA capability connected to the EPC through E-UTRA and retains the E-UTRA capability connected to the 5GC through E-UTRA.

In one implementation, the E-UTRA capabilities of the terminal device include a first E-UTRA capability and a second E-UTRA capability. When the terminal device enables the capability of connecting to the EPC through the E-UTRA and retains the capability of connecting to the 5GC through the E-UTRA, specifically: the terminal device disables one of the first E-UTRA capability or the second E-UTRA capability. That is, in the present embodiment, the first E-UTRA capability and the second E-UTRA capability are used to represent the EUTRA-5GC capability and the EUTRA-EPC capability of the terminal device, respectively, which is advantageous for the radio access network device to distinguish the EUTRA-5GC capability and the EUTRA-EPC capability of the terminal device.

In one implementation, the terminal device determines that the wireless capability has changed, and the terminal device sends a third message before the terminal device receives the first message. Specifically, the terminal device sends a third message (for example, the third message is a registration request message) to the core network, where the third message is used to indicate that the terminal device does not support the S1 MODE (S1 MODE). The S1 mode is that the terminal equipment accesses the EPC network through E-UTRA by utilizing an S1 interface. It is understood that the S1 mode indicates NAS layer oriented capability. After receiving the third message, the core network may determine that the terminal device does not support the S1 mode according to the third message, thereby determining that the wireless capability of the terminal device is changed.

Optionally, the third message is further used to directly indicate the change of the wireless capability of the terminal device. When the terminal device determines to disable the EUTRA capability or disable the S1 mode, the NAS layer of the terminal device indicates to the AS layer to disable the EUTRA capability, and the terminal device indicates to the core network device through the third message a change in the radio capability. For example, when the current terminal device operates in the 5G core network 5GC, the terminal device sends a registration request message to the 5GC, and the NG-RAN-RAC value in the 5GS update type identifier of the registration request message is 1, that is, NG-RAN-RAC =1, which indicates that the radio capability of the terminal device is changed. Wherein the 5GS update type is identified as a flag defined in the protocol. When the registration request message sent by the terminal device carries the 5GS update type identifier, the change of the wireless capability of the terminal device is indicated. Correspondingly, after receiving the registration request message, the access management device (e.g. AMF) in the 5G core network determines that the wireless capability of the terminal device is changed, and deletes the wireless capability of the terminal device stored locally.

In one implementation, the AMF deletes the wireless capability of the terminal device stored locally, and after the terminal device completes the registration process of the 5G core network, the AMF sends initialization configuration information, where the initialization configuration information does not include the wireless capability of the terminal device. Correspondingly, the 5G access network device (e.g., NG-RAN) receives initialization configuration information that does not include the radio capabilities of the terminal device. In order to obtain the radio capability of the terminal device, the NG-RAN sends a first message to the terminal device inquiring about the radio capability of the terminal device.

202, the terminal equipment sends a second message, the second message is used for indicating the wireless capability of the terminal equipment, and the wireless capability of the terminal equipment comprises that the terminal equipment does not support EPC connection through EUTRA; correspondingly, the radio access network equipment receives the second message.

When the terminal device is disabled to enable the EUTRA-EPC capability, the terminal device explicitly indicates in a second message sent by the terminal device to the radio access network device that the terminal device does not support EPC connection through EUTRA in order to inform the radio access network device of the current actual radio capability of the terminal device. Specific indication modes include the following two modes:

the first method is as follows: and adding new indication information in a second message sent by the terminal equipment, wherein the added indication information is used for indicating that the terminal equipment does not support connection of EPC through E-UTRA.

For example, the second message sent by the terminal device is UE Capability Information. Wherein, the UE capability corresponding to the radio access technology is reported in a UE capability container (UE-CapabilityRAT-container) of a corresponding RAT, and corresponds to different radio capability cells. For example, the NR radio capability information element is used to indicate NR radio capability of the terminal device and the E-UTRA radio capability information element is used to indicate E-UTRA radio capability of the terminal device. In the first mode, the terminal equipment adds the indication information in the UE-EUTRA-Capability information cell, and the added indication information is used for indicating that the terminal equipment does not support connection of EPC through E-UTRA. For example, the UE-EUTRA-Capability information element carries 1bit indication information which indicates that the terminal equipment does not support connection of EPC through E-UTRA. The method is beneficial to avoiding service interruption and influencing user experience caused by redirection or switching from the wireless access network equipment to the EUTRA-EPC when the terminal equipment enables the EUTRA-EPC capability.

Optionally, in the first mode, the UE-EUTRA-Capability information element carries an E-UTRA radio Capability parameter, and the E-UTRA radio Capability parameter may be used to indicate the EUTRA radio Capability of the terminal device connecting with the 5GC through the E-UTRA. It is understood that the E-UTRA radio capability parameters are essentially AS-layer parameters. As the network evolves, e.g., when the terminal device supports 6GC over E-UTRA, the E-UTRA radio capability parameter is further used to indicate that the terminal device supports 6GC over E-UTRA.

The second method comprises the following steps: the second message sent by the terminal device includes the first radio capability information element and does not include the E-UTRA radio capability information element.

For example, the second message sent by the terminal device is UE Capability Information, which includes an NR radio Capability Information element (UE-NR-Capability Information element) and a first radio Capability Information element. And, the UE Capability Information does not include the UE-EUTRA-Capability cell. That is, the UE Capability Information includes only the newly added first radio Capability Information element, and does not include the original UE-EUTRA-Capability Information element. Wherein the first radio capability information element carries an E-UTRA radio capability parameter indicating that the terminal device supports 5GC over an E-UTRA connection. It is understood that the E-UTRA radio Capability parameter carried in the first radio Capability information element newly added in the second message includes part or all of the E-UTRA radio Capability parameter in the original UE-EUTRA-Capability information element. Or, in the second mode, by introducing a new type of UE radio capability container, when the terminal device supports EUTRA-5GC, the E-UTRA radio capability of the terminal device is carried in the EUTRA-5GC capability container and reported to the radio access network device, but not reported in the original EUTRA capability container.

Therefore, compared with the first mode, the second mode is beneficial to ensuring the compatibility of the terminal equipment and the network. For example, when a new terminal device accesses an old radio access network device, the new terminal device reports EUTRA-5GC capability through the first radio capability cell and does not report an EUTRA capability cell. Since the old radio access network device does not recognize the first radio capability information element, it is assumed that the new terminal device does not support EUTRA capabilities, including EUTRA-EPC capabilities and EUTRA-5GC capabilities, and therefore it is possible to avoid redirecting or switching the new terminal device into the EUTRA-EPC network. The new terminal device refers to a terminal device that uses the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application, or a terminal device that supports reporting of the first wireless capability cell. The old radio access network device refers to a radio access network device which does not adopt the communication method provided by the embodiment of the application, or a radio access network device which cannot identify the first radio capability information element.

In the method, a terminal device sends a second message in response to a first message requesting wireless capability of the terminal device. The second message is used to indicate radio capabilities of the terminal device, and the radio capabilities of the terminal device include that the terminal device does not support connection of the EPC through E-UTRA. Therefore, when the terminal equipment does not support the access to the EPC through the E-UTRA, the terminal equipment explicitly indicates that the current wireless capability of the terminal equipment does not support the EUTRA-EPC through the second message, so that the terminal equipment is prevented from being redirected or switched to the EPC by mistake through the wireless access network equipment. And when the terminal equipment supports connection of 5GC through E-UTRA, after the terminal equipment disables EUTRA-EPC capability or disables S1 mode, the terminal equipment can report that the terminal equipment supports EUTRA-5GC and does not support the EUTRA-EPC capability, and at the moment, the wireless access network equipment can still redirect or switch the terminal equipment to the EUTRA-5GC network, so that the user experience is ensured, and the service continuity is ensured.

A detailed description will be given of a specific implementation of the communication method of the embodiment of fig. 2 when applied to the communication system shown in fig. 1.

In an example, fig. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a specific communication method when the second message sent by the terminal device in the embodiment of fig. 2 carries indication information, and the indication information indicates that the terminal device does not support connection of an EPC through an E-UTRA. Wherein, taking the radio access network device as NG-RAN and the 5G core network device as AMF as an example, the method flow of fig. 3 is implemented by interaction among the terminal device, NG-RAN and AMF, and includes the following steps:

301, when an anomaly occurs in the 4G network, the terminal device disables EUTRA-EPC capability and retains EUTRA-5GC capability.

For example, when the number of ATTACH (ATTACH) attempts of the terminal device in the 4G network reaches 5 times, the terminal device will disable the EUTRA-EPC capability. And when the terminal equipment can disable the capability of the EUTRA-EPC, the terminal equipment selects the network and resides in the 5G network.

302, when the terminal device resides in the 5G network, the terminal device performs a mobile registration procedure.

For example, the mobile registration process executed by the terminal device includes the following steps:

s11, the terminal device sends a REGISTRATION REQUEST message (REGISTRATION REQUEST) to the AMF through the NG-RAN, the REGISTRATION REQUEST message indicating that the terminal device does not support S1 MODE. Wherein, the REGISTRATION REQUEST message also carries a wireless capability change flag (i.e. carries a 5GS update type flag). Further, NG-RAN-RAC =1 in the 5GS update type indicates a change in the radio capability of the terminal device.

Correspondingly, the AMF receives the REGISTRATION REQUEST, and because the REGISTRATION REQUEST carries the 5GS update type identifier, the AMF deletes the wireless capability of the terminal device stored locally.

And s12, the AMF sends a registration response message to the terminal equipment through the NG-RAN, and the registration response message indicates that the terminal equipment is successfully registered.

303, when the terminal device completes the mobile registration process, the AMF informs the NG-RAN to establish an initial context.

For example, when the AMF and NG-RAN establish a CONTEXT, the AMF sends an INITIAL CONTEXT SETUP REQUEST to the NG-RAN, and the INITIAL CONTEXT SETUP REQUEST does not carry the wireless capabilities of the terminal device. That is, the AMF does not send the radio capabilities of the terminal device to the NG-RAN, i.e. the NG-RAN has no radio capabilities of the terminal device.

The ng-RAN sends a first message requesting the radio capabilities of the terminal device 304.

For example, the NG-RAN sends a ue capability inquiry message to the terminal device, where the ue capability inquiry message is used to query the E-UTRA radio capability of the terminal device.

305, in response to the first message, the terminal device sends a second message, where the second message includes an E-UTRA radio capability information element, and the E-UTRA radio capability information element adds new indication information, where the new indication information is used to indicate that the terminal device does not support connection of EPC through E-UTRA; correspondingly, the NG-RAN receives the second message.

Wherein, in order to inform the NG-RAN terminal equipment to enable the EUTRA-EPC Capability and to retain the EUTRA-5GC Capability, i.e. the terminal equipment does not currently support EUTRA-EPC but supports EUTRA-5GC, the terminal equipment carries an E-UTRA radio Capability information element (i.e. a UE-EUTRA-Capability information element) in a second message sent to the NG-RAN. And the new indication terminal equipment in the UE-EUTRA-Capability cell does not support EUTRA-EPC. For example, a UE-EUTRA-Capability cell carries a 1-bit indicating bit and is dedicated to indicating that the terminal equipment does not support EUTRA-EPC. Further, the UE-EUTRA-Capability information element is also used for indicating that the terminal device supports connection 5GC through E-UTRA, including the EUTRA radio Capability parameter through the EUTRA connection 5GC. It should be understood that the foregoing is only an example, and the specific implementation manner of the embodiment is not limited.

306,ng-RAN determines from the second message that the terminal device does not support access to the EPC through EUTRA. That is, in this embodiment, the NG-RAN can clearly know that the current actual wireless capability of the terminal device does not support access to the EPC through EUTRA, and the NG-RAN does not initiate redirection or handover to the EUTRA-EPC.

Optionally, the present example further includes the steps of:

307, NG-RAN sends RADIO CAPABILITY INDICATION information (UE RADIO CAPABILITY INFO INDICATION) of the terminal device. Wherein, the UE RADIO CAPABILITY INFO INDICATION includes the current wireless CAPABILITY of the terminal device (i.e. the terminal device does not support connection EPC through E-UTRA, and supports ETURA wireless CAPABILITY of connection 5GC through E-UTRA). Correspondingly, the AMF receives the wireless capability indication information.

The amf updates the locally stored wireless capabilities of the terminal device 308. The wireless capability of the terminal equipment which is locally saved after AMF updating comprises ETURA wireless capability which is that the terminal equipment does not support connection of EPC through E-UTRA and supports connection of 5GC through E-UTRA.

In this example, when the terminal device can implement the method executed by the terminal device in the embodiment of fig. 3 and the radio access network device can also implement the method executed by the NG-RAN in the embodiment of fig. 3, the second message reported by the terminal device to the radio access network device includes an E-UTRA radio capability cell, and an indication information is newly added in the E-UTRA radio capability cell, where the newly added indication information is used to indicate that the terminal device does not support connection of the EPC through the E-UTRA. The wireless access network equipment can identify the newly added identifier in the second message and determine that the terminal equipment does not support connection of the EPC through the E-UTRA, so that redirection or switching of the EUTRA-EPC is avoided, and service interruption and influence on user experience are avoided.

In another example, fig. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a specific communication method when a first radio capability cell is newly added to a second message sent by a terminal device in the embodiment of fig. 2 and the second message does not include an E-UTRA radio capability cell. Similar to fig. 3, taking the radio access network device as NG-RAN and the 5G core network device as AMF as an example, the method flow of fig. 4 is implemented by interaction among the terminal device, NG-RAN and AMF, and includes the following steps:

when an abnormality occurs in the terminal device in the 4G network, the terminal device enables the EUTRA-EPC capability and retains the EUTRA-5GC capability 401.

402, when the terminal device resides in the 5G network, the terminal device performs a mobile registration procedure.

When the terminal device completes the mobile registration procedure, the AMF informs the NG-RAN to establish an initial context 403.

404, the ng-RAN sends a first message requesting the radio capabilities of the terminal device.

The specific implementation of steps 401 to 404 refers to the descriptions in steps 301 to 304 in the embodiment of fig. 3, and is not described herein again.

In response to the first message, the terminal device sends a second message, the second message including the first radio capability information element and not including the E-UTRA radio capability information element 405.

In this example, a first radio Capability cell (for example, the first radio Capability cell is named UE-EUTRA-5GC-Capability cell) is newly added in a second message (UE Capability Information) sent by the terminal device to the NG-RAN. The UE Capability Information reported by the terminal equipment comprises a UE-EUTRA-5GC-Capability cell and does not comprise the UE-EUTRA-Capability cell. Wherein the UE-EUTRA-5GC-Capability cell indicates that the terminal equipment supports connection of 5GC through EUTRA, and the UE-EUTRA-Capability cell indicates that the terminal equipment supports connection of EPC through EUTRA. It should be understood that the above is only an example, and the embodiment of the present application does not limit the format and naming of the added first wireless capability information element. And, the scene of the added first wireless capability cell is not limited to the scene of the disabled E-UTRA of the terminal device in the 4G network, and the terminal device may report the added first wireless capability cell for indicating the wireless capability of the EUTRA-5GC supported by the terminal device as long as the terminal device supports the 5GC through the EUTRA connection.

406,ng-RAN determines from the second message that the terminal device does not support access to the EPC through EUTRA.

Optionally, the present example further includes the following steps:

407, NG-RAN sends RADIO CAPABILITY INDICATION information (UE RADIO CAPABILITY INFO INDICATION) of the terminal device.

The amf updates the locally stored wireless capabilities of the terminal device 408.

The specific implementation of steps 406-408 refers to the description in steps 306-308 in the embodiment of fig. 3, and is not described herein again.

The communication method in this example is advantageous for ensuring the compatibility of the terminal device and the network. For example, when the terminal device is capable of implementing the method performed by the terminal device in the embodiment of fig. 4 and the radio access network device is also capable of implementing the method performed by NG-RAN in the embodiment of fig. 4, the radio access network device is capable of identifying the first radio Capability information element newly added in the second message and identifying that the UE-EUTRA-Capability information element is not carried in the second message, so as to determine that the terminal device does not support connection of EPC through E-UTRA and only supports connection of 5GC through E-UTRA, thereby avoiding initiation of redirection or handover to EUTRA-EPC. And when the terminal equipment supports connection of 5GC through E-UTRA, after the terminal equipment enables the EUTRA-EPC capability or the S1 mode, the terminal equipment can report that the EUTRA-5GC capability is supported, and at the moment, the wireless access network equipment can still redirect or switch the terminal equipment to the EUTRA-5GC network, so that the user experience is favorably ensured, and the service continuity is ensured.

For another example, when the terminal device is capable of implementing the method performed by the terminal device in the embodiment of fig. 4 and the radio access network device is not capable of implementing the method performed by the NG-RAN in the embodiment of fig. 4, although the radio access network device is not capable of identifying the first radio Capability information element newly added in the second message, since the terminal device does not report the UE-EUTRA-Capability information element, the radio access network device determines that the terminal device does not support connection of the EPC through the E-UTRA, thereby avoiding initiating redirection or handover to the EUTRA-EPC, and avoiding service interruption and affecting user experience.

The communication method of the embodiment of the present application is described in detail above with reference to fig. 2 to 4. The communication device and the related apparatus according to the embodiment of the present application are described in detail below with reference to fig. 5 to 8. It should be understood that the communication devices and associated apparatus shown in fig. 5-8 are capable of implementing one or more steps of the method flows shown in fig. 2-4. To avoid repetition, detailed description is omitted.

Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application. The communication apparatus shown in fig. 5 is used to implement the methods performed by the terminal device in the embodiments shown in fig. 2 to 4. The communication apparatus includes a transceiving unit 501. The transceiving unit 501 is configured to receive a first message, where the first message is used to request the wireless capability of the terminal device. The transceiving unit 501 is further configured to send a second message, where the second message is used to indicate the wireless capability of the terminal device. Wherein the wireless capability of the terminal equipment comprises that the terminal equipment does not support connection of EPC through E-UTRA.

In one implementation, the communication device further includes a processing unit 502. The processing unit 502 is configured to determine that the terminal device supports connection of the 5G core network 5GC through E-UTRA and does not support connection of the EPC through E-UTRA.

In one implementation, the transceiving unit 501 is configured to send the second message when the terminal device supports 5GC over E-UTRA connection and does not support EPC over E-UTRA connection. The second message includes the first radio capability information element and does not include the E-UTRA radio capability information element.

In one implementation, the radio capability of the terminal device further indicates that the terminal device supports 5GC over E-UTRA connection.

In one implementation, the processing unit 502 is also to disable E-UTRA capabilities connected to the EPC through E-UTRA and retain E-UTRA capabilities connected to the 5GC through E-UTRA.

In one implementation, the E-UTRA capabilities of the terminal device include a first E-UTRA capability and a second E-UTRA capability. Wherein the processing unit 502 is configured to disable one of the first E-UTRA capability or the second E-UTRA capability.

In one implementation, the second message includes a first radio capability information element for indicating that the terminal device supports over E-UTRA connection 5GC.

In one implementation, the second message includes an E-UTRA radio capability information element to indicate that the terminal device does not support an EPC over E-UTRA connection, the E-UTRA radio capability information element also to indicate that the terminal device supports 5GC over E-UTRA connection.

In one implementation, the transceiving unit 501 is further configured to send a third message, where the third message is used to indicate that the terminal device does not support the S1 mode. The S1 mode is that the terminal equipment accesses the EPC network through E-UTRA by utilizing an S1 interface.

In one implementation, the third message is further used to indicate a change in wireless capability of the terminal device.

In one implementation, the relevant functions implemented by the various elements in fig. 5 may be implemented by a transceiver and a processor. Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present application. The terminal device may be a device (e.g., a chip) capable of performing the communication method in the embodiments shown in fig. 2 to 4. The terminal device may include a transceiver 601, at least one processor 602, and memory 603. The transceiver 601, the processor 602, and the memory 603 may be connected to each other via one or more communication buses, or may be connected via other means.

The transceiver 601 may be used to transmit data or receive data, among other things. It is understood that the transceiver 601 is a generic term and may include both a receiver and a transmitter.

The processor 602 may be configured to process data of the terminal device. The processor 602 may include one or more processors, for example, the processor 602 may be one or more Central Processing Units (CPUs), network Processors (NPs), hardware chips, or any combination thereof. In the case where the processor 602 is a CPU, the CPU may be a single-core CPU or a multi-core CPU.

The memory 603 is used for storing program codes and the like. The memory 603 may include a volatile memory (volatile memory), such as a Random Access Memory (RAM). The memory 603 may also include a non-volatile memory (non-volatile memory), such as a read-only memory (ROM), a flash memory (flash memory), a Hard Disk Drive (HDD) or a solid-state drive (SSD); the memory 603 may also comprise a combination of memories of the kind described above.

The processor 602 and the memory 603 may be coupled via an interface, or may be integrated together, and this embodiment is not limited thereto.

The transceiver 601 and the processor 602 may be configured to execute the communication method in the embodiments shown in fig. 2 to fig. 4, and the specific implementation manner is as follows:

a transceiver 601, configured to receive a first message, where the first message is used to request a wireless capability of a terminal device;

the transceiver 601 is further configured to send a second message indicating the radio capabilities of the terminal device including that the terminal device does not support connection EPC through E-UTRA.

For other implementation manners, reference is made to corresponding descriptions in the embodiment of fig. 5, which are not described herein again.

Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram of another communication device according to an embodiment of the present application. The communication apparatus shown in fig. 7 is used to implement the method performed by the radio access network device in the embodiments shown in fig. 2 to 4. The communication apparatus includes a transceiving unit 701. The transceiving unit 701 is configured to send a first message, where the first message is used to request a wireless capability of a terminal device. The transceiving unit 701 is further configured to receive a second message indicating radio capabilities of the terminal device, including that the terminal device does not support connection of EPC through E-UTRA.

In one implementation, the communication device further includes a processing unit 702. The processing unit 702 is configured to determine that the terminal device supports 5GC over E-UTRA connection, and schedule the terminal device to access the 5GC in response to the second message.

In one implementation, the second message includes an E-UTRA radio capability information element for indicating that the terminal device does not support an EPC over E-UTRA connection, or the E-UTRA radio capability information element is also for indicating that the terminal device supports 5GC over E-UTRA connection.

In one implementation, the relevant functions implemented by the various elements in fig. 7 may be implemented by a transceiver and a processor. Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram of a radio access network device according to an embodiment of the present application. The radio access network device may be a device (e.g., a chip) capable of performing the communication method in the embodiments shown in fig. 2 to 4. The radio access network device may include a transceiver 801, at least one processor 802, and memory 803. The transceiver 801, the processor 802 and the memory 803 may be connected to each other via one or more communication buses, or may be connected in other ways.

The transceiver 801 may be used to transmit data or receive data, among other things. It will be appreciated that the transceiver 801 is generally referred to and may include a receiver and a transmitter.

The processor 802 may be configured to process data of the terminal device. The processor 802 may include one or more processors, for example, the processor 802 may be one or more CPUs, NPs, hardware chips, or any combination thereof. In the case where the processor 802 is a CPU, the CPU may be a single-core CPU or a multi-core CPU.

The memory 803 is used to store, among other things, program codes. The memory 803 may include volatile memory, such as RAM. The memory 803 may also include a nonvolatile memory such as a ROM, a flash memory, an HDD, or an SSD. The memory 803 may also comprise a combination of memories of the kind described above.

The processor 802 and the memory 803 may be coupled through an interface, or may be integrated together, which is not limited in this embodiment.

The transceiver 801 and the processor 802 may be configured to perform the communication method in the embodiments shown in fig. 2 to fig. 4, and the specific implementation manner is as follows:

a transceiver 801 for transmitting a first message for requesting wireless capability of the terminal device;

the transceiver 801 is further configured to receive a second message indicating radio capabilities of the terminal device including that the terminal device does not support connection of EPC through E-UTRA.

For other implementation manners, reference is made to corresponding descriptions in the embodiment of fig. 7, and details are not repeated here.

An apparatus is provided in an embodiment of the present application and includes a processor. The processor is configured to couple with the memory, read the instructions in the memory, and execute the communication method in the embodiment shown in fig. 2 to 4 according to the instructions.

Embodiments of the present application provide a computer-readable storage medium storing a program or instructions, which, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform a communication method in an embodiment of the present application.

The embodiment of the present application provides a chip or a chip system, where the chip or the chip system includes at least one processor and an interface, the interface and the at least one processor are interconnected through a line, and the at least one processor is used to run a computer program or instructions to perform the communication method in the embodiment of the present application.

In one implementation, the chip or chip system described above in this application further includes at least one memory having instructions stored therein. The memory may be a storage unit inside the chip, such as a register, a cache, etc., or may be a storage unit of the chip (e.g., a read-only memory, a random access memory, etc.).

In the above embodiments, the implementation may be wholly or partially realized by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, may be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When loaded and executed on a computer, cause the processes or functions described in accordance with the embodiments of the application to occur, in whole or in part. The computer may be a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a network of computers, or other programmable device. The computer instructions may be stored on a computer readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer readable storage medium to another, for example, from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wire (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, digital Subscriber Line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.). Computer-readable storage media can be any available media that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device, such as a server, data center, etc., that includes one or more available media. The usable medium may be a magnetic medium (e.g., a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., a Digital Video Disk (DVD)), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., a Solid State Disk (SSD)), among others.

Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the elements and algorithm steps of the examples described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be embodied in electronic hardware, computer software, or combinations of both, and that the components and steps of the examples have been described in a functional general in the foregoing description for the purpose of illustrating clearly the interchangeability of hardware and software. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the implementation. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present application.

The above description is only for the specific embodiments of the present application, but the scope of the present application is not limited thereto, and any person skilled in the art can easily conceive of the changes or substitutions within the technical scope of the present application, and shall be covered by the scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application shall be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A method of communication, comprising:

a terminal device receives a first message, wherein the first message is used for requesting the wireless capability of the terminal device;

the terminal equipment sends a second message, wherein the second message is used for indicating the wireless capability of the terminal equipment, and the wireless capability of the terminal equipment comprises that the terminal equipment does not support a packet core network EPC evolved through an evolved universal terrestrial radio access E-UTRA connection.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the terminal device judges that the terminal device supports connection of a 5G core network 5GC through E-UTRA and does not support connection of an EPC through E-UTRA.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the terminal device sends the second message comprising:

when the terminal device supports connection 5GC over E-UTRA and does not support connection EPC over E-UTRA, the terminal device sends a second message including the first radio capability information element and not including the E-UTRA radio capability information element.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the radio capability of the terminal device further indicates that the terminal device supports 5GC over E-UTRA connection.

5. The method of claim 1 or 4, further comprising:

the terminal device disables E-UTRA capability connected to the EPC through E-UTRA and retains E-UTRA capability connected to 5GC through E-UTRA.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the E-UTRA capabilities of the terminal device comprise a first E-UTRA capability and a second E-UTRA capability; the terminal device enables the capability of connecting to EPC through E-UTRA and reserves the capability of connecting to 5GC through E-UTRA, including:

the terminal device is to enable one of the first E-UTRA capability or the second E-UTRA capability.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the second message comprises a first radio capability information element indicating that the terminal device supports 5GC over E-UTRA connection.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the second message comprises an E-UTRA radio capability information element that indicates that the terminal device does not support connection over E-UTRA EPC, and wherein the E-UTRA radio capability information element is further configured to indicate that the terminal device supports connection over E-UTRA 5GC.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein before the terminal device receives the first message, the method further comprises:

the terminal equipment sends a third message, wherein the third message is used for indicating that the terminal equipment does not support an S1 mode, and the S1 mode is that the terminal equipment accesses an EPC network through an E-UTRA (enhanced-UTRA) by utilizing an S1 interface.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the third message is further used for indicating a change in wireless capability of the terminal device.

11. A method of communication, comprising:

a wireless access network device sends a first message, wherein the first message is used for requesting the wireless capability of the terminal device;

the radio access network device receives a second message indicating the radio capability of the terminal device, the radio capability of the terminal device including that the terminal device does not support connection EPC through E-UTRA.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

the wireless access network equipment judges that the terminal equipment supports 5GC through E-UTRA connection;

in response to the second message, the radio access network device schedules the terminal device to access the 5GC.

13. The method according to claim 11 or 12, the second message comprising a first radio capability information element for indicating that the terminal device supports 5GC over E-UTRA connection.

14. The method according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the second message comprises an E-UTRA radio capability information element indicating that the terminal device does not support EPC connectivity over E-UTRA or the E-UTRA radio capability information element further indicating that the terminal device supports 5GC connectivity over E-UTRA.

15. A communications apparatus, comprising:

a receiving and sending unit, configured to receive a first message, where the first message is used to request a wireless capability of the terminal device;

the transceiver unit is further configured to send a second message, where the second message is used to indicate a radio capability of the terminal device, and the radio capability of the terminal device includes that the terminal device does not support an evolved packet core network EPC connected through an evolved universal terrestrial radio access E-UTRA.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the communications apparatus further comprises a processing unit configured to determine that the terminal device supports connection over E-UTRA for 5G core network 5GC and does not support connection over E-UTRA for EPC.

17. The apparatus as claimed in claim 16, wherein the transceiving unit is configured to transmit a second message, comprising:

the transceiving unit is configured to send a second message comprising the first radio capability information element and not comprising the E-UTRA radio capability information element when the terminal device supports E-UTRA connection 5GC and does not support E-UTRA connection EPC.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the radio capabilities of the terminal device further indicate that the terminal device supports 5GC over E-UTRA connection.

19. The apparatus according to claim 15 or 18, wherein the processing unit is further configured to:

to enable E-UTRA capability linked to EPC through E-UTRA and to retain E-UTRA capability linked to 5GC through E-UTRA.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the E-UTRA capabilities of the terminal device comprise a first E-UTRA capability and a second E-UTRA capability; the processing unit is used for enabling the capability of connecting to EPC through E-UTRA and reserving the capability of connecting to 5GC through E-UTRA, and comprises the following steps:

one of the first E-UTRA capability or the second E-UTRA capability is disabled.

21. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the second message comprises a first radio capability information element indicating that the terminal device supports 5GC over E-UTRA connection.

22. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the second message comprises an E-UTRA radio capability information element that indicates that the terminal device does not support connection over E-UTRA EPC, and wherein the E-UTRA radio capability information element is further configured to indicate that the terminal device supports connection over E-UTRA 5GC.

23. The apparatus according to any one of claims 15 to 22, wherein the transceiver unit is further configured to:

and sending a third message, wherein the third message is used for indicating that the terminal equipment does not support an S1 mode, and the S1 mode is that the terminal equipment accesses an EPC network through an E-UTRA (enhanced-UTRA) by utilizing an S1 interface.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the third message is further configured to indicate a change in wireless capability of the terminal device.

25. A communications apparatus, comprising:

a receiving and sending unit, configured to send a first message, where the first message is used to request a wireless capability of the terminal device;

the transceiver unit is further configured to receive a second message indicating a radio capability of the terminal device, where the radio capability of the terminal device includes that the terminal device does not support connection EPC through E-UTRA.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the communications apparatus further comprises a processing unit configured to:

judging that the terminal equipment supports 5GC through E-UTRA connection;

and in response to the second message, scheduling the terminal device to access the 5GC.

27. The apparatus of claim 25 or 26, wherein the second message comprises a first radio capability information element indicating that the terminal device supports 5GC over E-UTRA connection.

28. The apparatus of claim 25 or 26, wherein the second message comprises an E-UTRA radio capability information element indicating that the terminal device does not support EPC connections through E-UTRA or wherein the E-UTRA radio capability information element is further configured to indicate that the terminal device supports 5GC through E-UTRA connections.

29. A communication system comprising a communication device according to any of claims 15 to 24 and a communication device according to any of claims 25 to 28.

30. A computer-readable storage medium comprising a program or instructions for performing the method of any one of claims 1 to 24 when the program or instructions are run on a computer.