CN113965976B

CN113965976B - Network service method, device, system and storage medium

Info

Publication number: CN113965976B
Application number: CN202010684943.6A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 蒋峥; 刘胜楠; 陈鹏
Original assignee: China Telecom Corp Ltd
Current assignee: China Telecom Corp Ltd
Priority date: 2020-07-16
Filing date: 2020-07-16
Publication date: 2024-03-05
Anticipated expiration: 2040-07-16
Also published as: CN113965976A

Abstract

The invention discloses a network service method, a device, a system and a storage medium, relating to the field of mobile communication. The network service method comprises the following steps: a distribution unit DU of the base station sends a bearing message to the CU, wherein the bearing message comprises the identification of a third party service provider supported by a cell of the DU; the method comprises the steps that a DU receives a broadcast message sent by a CU and generated by the CU, wherein the broadcast message comprises an identification of a third party service provider supported by a cell of the DU; the DU transmits a broadcast message. Thus, a network operator may be provided with network services by mutually authorizing with a vertical industry network or a third party network, such as by having public users obtain private network services or by providing private network users with services under other networks. The user can enjoy the cross-network service, and the flexibility of the network service is improved.

Description

Network service method, device, system and storage medium

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of mobile communications, and in particular, to a network service method, apparatus, system, and storage medium.

Background

With the development of 5G mobile communication networks, the 5G network is required to meet the demands of common users on services such as mobile internet and multimedia VR/AR, and is required to gradually penetrate into various fields such as industrial automation, vertical industry intellectualization, and the like, so as to promote the industrial development of a country to a new level. One of the important application scenarios of 5G networks is the need to support proprietary networks or vertical industry applications that are distinguished from commercial networks. Current 5G technology has introduced network slicing technology (Rel-15 version) and non-public network technology (Rel-16 version) for the vertical industry, which will gradually assist the vertical industry development in our country.

Disclosure of Invention

The inventors have found through analysis that in the related art, if a user is not an authorized user of a certain network, the user cannot use services and network resources of the network. In addition, the current non-public network does not support the support condition of interaction DU between CU and DU for authentication and authorization of a third party organization under the distributed architecture formed by CU and DU, so that the access of the DU cell by an unauthorized user and the use of network resources cannot be supported. Therefore, it is difficult to perform vertical industry application of the network, and flexibility of network resource use is reduced.

One technical problem to be solved by the embodiment of the invention is as follows: how to improve the flexibility of network services.

According to a first aspect of some embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a network service method comprising: a distribution unit DU of the base station sends a bearing message to the CU, wherein the bearing message comprises the identification of a third party service provider supported by a cell of the DU; the method comprises the steps that a DU receives a broadcast message sent by a CU and generated by the CU, wherein the broadcast message comprises an identification of a third party service provider supported by a cell of the DU; the DU transmits a broadcast message.

In some embodiments, the bearer message is an interface setup request message; alternatively, the bearer message is a DU configuration update message.

In some embodiments, the network service method further comprises: the DU receives an access request sent by a terminal of a user, wherein a third party service provider in the broadcast message comprises a third party service provider supported by the user; the DU obtains the identification of the third party service provider selected by the terminal; the DU sends a terminal authentication request to core network equipment through the CU, wherein the terminal authentication request comprises the identification of a third party service provider selected by the terminal; in response to the core network device passing the terminal authentication request, the DU allows the terminal access.

In some embodiments, the network service method further comprises: the DU receives user context information sent by the CU, wherein the user context information comprises the identification of a third party service provider selected by a user; the DU obtains the information of the corresponding third party service provider according to the identification of the third party service provider selected by the user.

In some embodiments, after a user accesses a cell of a DU, or after a user switches from a cell of another DU to a cell of a DU, the DU receives a terminal context establishment request sent by the CU, wherein the terminal context establishment request includes user context information.

In some embodiments, the DU receives a terminal context modification request sent by the CU in the event of a change in information of a third party facilitator of the user accessing the DU, wherein the terminal context modification request includes user context information.

In some embodiments, the network service method further comprises: and the DU performs resource scheduling or control on the user according to the information of the corresponding third-party service provider.

In some embodiments, the network service method further comprises: the DU initiates a procedure for switching a user accessing a cell of the DU to a target cell, wherein the identity of the third party service provider supported by the target cell stored by the DU comprises an identity of the third party service provider selected or allowed by the access user.

In some embodiments, the procedure by which the DU initiates handover of a user accessing the cell of the DU to the target cell comprises: the DU sends a first switching request of the user to the core network through the CU, wherein the first switching request comprises the identification of a target cell to be switched by the user, so that the core network sends a switching failure message to the DU under the condition that the target cell does not support a third party service provider allowed by the user, and sends a second switching request to the target cell under the condition that the target cell supports the third party service provider allowed by the user.

In some embodiments, the procedure by which the DU initiates handover of a user accessing the cell of the DU to the target cell comprises: the DU sends a third switching request message to a base station where the target cell is located, wherein the third switching request message comprises the identification of the target cell and the identification of a third party service provider allowed or selected by a user; the DU receives a handover request confirm message sent by the base station where the target cell is located in response to the third party service provider allowed or selected by the supporting user of the target cell.

In some embodiments, the bearer message includes a list of cell identities of DUs, each identity having corresponding priority information, and identities of corresponding third party servers for each cell identity.

In some embodiments, the identification of the third party facilitator comprises an identification of a third party facilitator supported by the public network, and an identification of a third party facilitator supported by the non-public network.

According to a second aspect of some embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a network service apparatus, a distribution unit DU located at a base station, comprising: a sending module configured to send a bearer message to the CU, wherein the bearer message includes an identity of a third party service provider supported by a cell of the DU; a receiving module configured to receive a broadcast message sent by the CU and generated by the CU, wherein the broadcast message includes an identity of a third party service provider supported by a cell of the DU; and a broadcasting module configured to transmit the broadcasting message.

According to a third aspect of some embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a network service apparatus comprising: a memory; and a processor coupled to the memory, the processor configured to perform any of the aforementioned network service methods based on instructions stored in the memory.

According to a fourth aspect of some embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a network service system comprising: a network service system, comprising: a distribution unit DU including any one of the aforementioned network service devices; and a centralization unit CU configured to generate a broadcast message including an identification of the third party service provider supported by the cell of DU.

According to a fifth aspect of some embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a computer readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program which when executed by a processor implements any of the aforementioned network service methods.

Some of the embodiments of the above invention have the following advantages or benefits: the embodiment of the invention supports the interaction of the identification of the third party service provider between the CU and the DU, so that the DU can send the broadcast information of the identification of the third party service provider supported by the DU, and the users supporting the same third party service provider can access. Thus, a network operator may be provided with network services by mutually authorizing with a vertical industry network or a third party network, such as by having public users obtain private network services or by providing private network users with services under other networks. The user can enjoy the cross-network service, and the flexibility of the network service is improved.

Other features of the present invention and its advantages will become apparent from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the invention, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the invention or the technical solutions of the prior art, the drawings which are used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly described, it being obvious that the drawings in the description below are only some embodiments of the invention, and that other drawings can be obtained according to these drawings without inventive faculty for a person skilled in the art.

Fig. 1 schematically shows a network scenario architecture of the present invention.

Fig. 2 illustrates a flow diagram of a network service method according to some embodiments of the invention.

Fig. 3 illustrates a flow diagram of a terminal access method according to some embodiments of the invention.

Fig. 4 illustrates a flow diagram of a user information interaction method according to some embodiments of the invention.

Fig. 5 illustrates a flow diagram of a handoff method according to some embodiments of the present invention.

Fig. 6 shows a flow chart of a handover method according to further embodiments of the present invention.

Fig. 7 illustrates a schematic diagram of a network service device according to some embodiments of the present invention.

Fig. 8 illustrates a schematic diagram of a network service system according to some embodiments of the invention.

Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating a network service device according to other embodiments of the present invention.

Fig. 10 shows a schematic structural diagram of a network service device according to further embodiments of the present invention.

Detailed Description

The following description of the embodiments of the present invention will be made clearly and completely with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which it is apparent that the embodiments described are only some embodiments of the present invention, but not all embodiments. The following description of at least one exemplary embodiment is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention, its application, or uses. All other embodiments, which can be made by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the invention without making any inventive effort, are intended to be within the scope of the invention.

The relative arrangement of the components and steps, numerical expressions and numerical values set forth in these embodiments do not limit the scope of the present invention unless it is specifically stated otherwise.

Meanwhile, it should be understood that the sizes of the respective parts shown in the drawings are not drawn in actual scale for convenience of description.

Techniques, methods, and apparatus known to one of ordinary skill in the relevant art may not be discussed in detail, but should be considered part of the specification where appropriate.

In all examples shown and discussed herein, any specific values should be construed as merely illustrative, and not a limitation. Thus, other examples of the exemplary embodiments may have different values.

It should be noted that: like reference numerals and letters denote like items in the following figures, and thus once an item is defined in one figure, no further discussion thereof is necessary in subsequent figures.

Fig. 1 schematically shows a network scenario architecture of the present invention. As shown in fig. 1, in this embodiment, UE11 wants to access a local unlicensed network a mainly including DU (Distributed Unit) 121, CU (Centralized Unit) 122, AMF (Access and Mobility Management Function ) 13, SMF (Session Management Function, session management function) 14, vcf (Volume Policy Control Function, mobile network traffic policy management entity) 15, UPF (User plane Function ) 16, UE1 having access to the data network DN17 after accessing the network. UE1 may interact with DU121 and may interact with AMF13 through an N1 interface. Inside local unlicensed network a, DU121 interacts with CU122 through the F1 interface and constitutes NG-RAN (5G radio access network), CU122 interacts with AMF13 through the N2 interface, interacts with UPF16 through the N3 interface; SMF14 interacts with AMF13 via an N11 interface, with UPF16 via an N4 interface, and with vPCF15 via an N7 interface; UPF16 interacts with DN17 through an N6 interface. The devices of the third party service authority are exemplarily shown on the right side of the dotted line of fig. 1, including AUSF (Authentication Server Function, authentication server) 181, UDM (Unified Data Management ) 182 and hPCF (home Policy Control Function, home policy control function) 183, interaction between the AUSF181 and the UDM182 being through an N13 interface; AUSF181 interacts with AMF13 via an N12 interface; UDM182 interacts with AMF13 and SMF14 via N8 and N10 interfaces, respectively; hPCF183 interacts with vccf 15 through an N24 interface.

The above-described network architecture is merely exemplary and is not intended to limit the present invention in any way. Those skilled in the art may make modifications to the particular network architecture used, or use other network architectures, as desired.

UE11 has no access rights to network a. At present, DU cells are not supported between DU and CU to support interaction of authentication authorization information of a third party, so that unauthorized users cannot access the cells where DU is located. But if a third party subscribed to the user of UE11 is able to provide a third party authorization service to the home network, the third party user may be given access to the DU cell. This functionality is not currently supported in the current 5G standard.

To achieve this function, the present invention defines a service identity of a third party authentication and authorization service provider (referred to as a third party service provider for short), which information may be presented in a list form and transferred between a CU and a DU, a CU and a core network, a DU and a terminal, etc., to represent the third party service provider supported by the sender of the information or the relevant party.

In some embodiments, the service identification of the third party facilitator includes a service identification of a third party verification authorization facilitator supported by the public network and a service identification of a third party verification authorization facilitator supported by a non-public network.

In some embodiments, the list of identifications may also include priority information for identification for selection with reference to priority when the user supports a plurality of third party service providers.

In some embodiments, the service identifier list of the third party service provider includes at least one of a plurality of SNPN (station-alone Non-Public Network) identifiers, a PLMN (Public Land Mobile Network) identifier, and a Public land mobile Network) identifier of the Non-independent Network, where the order of the service identifiers (SNPN identifier or PLMN identifier) in the list may implicitly reflect priority information of the Network.

Embodiments of the present invention may perform a variety of interactions including service identification of third party facilitators. An embodiment of the network service method of the present invention is described below with reference to fig. 2.

Fig. 2 illustrates a flow diagram of a network service method according to some embodiments of the invention. As shown in fig. 2, the network service method of this embodiment includes steps S202 to S204.

In step S202, the DU sends a bearer message to the CU, wherein the bearer message includes an identity of a third party facilitator supported by the cell of the DU.

In some embodiments, the bearer message is an interface setup request message. For example, when the DU of the base station establishes an interface with the CU through an interface SETUP REQUEST message (F1 SETUP REQUEST), the identity of the third party service provider supported by the cell of the DU is added to the message.

In some embodiments, the bearer message is a DU configuration update message. For example, when the information of the access cell of the third party service provider supported by the base station DU changes, the DU adds the identity of the supported third party service provider of the updated DU cell in a DU configuration update message (GNB-DU CONFIGURATION UPDATE).

In step S204, the CU generates a broadcast message, wherein the broadcast message includes an identification of a third party service provider for cell support of the DU

In step S206, the DU receives a broadcast message transmitted by the CU.

In step S208, the DU transmits a broadcast message so that users in the DU coverage initiate an access procedure based on the broadcast message.

In some embodiments, the user initiates the access procedure in the event that a third party facilitator supported by the user is included in the third party facilitator in the broadcast message.

The method of the above embodiment supports interaction of the identity of the third party facilitator between the CU and the DU, so that the DU can transmit broadcast information with the identity of the third party facilitator supported by the DU, and a user supporting the same third party facilitator can access. Thus, a network operator may be provided with network services by mutually authorizing with a vertical industry network or a third party network, such as by having public users obtain private network services or by providing private network users with services under other networks. The user can enjoy the cross-network service, and the flexibility of the network service is improved.

An embodiment of the terminal access method of the present invention is described below with reference to fig. 3.

Fig. 3 illustrates a flow diagram of a terminal access method according to some embodiments of the invention. As shown in fig. 3, the terminal access method of this embodiment includes steps S302 to S312.

In step S302, the DU transmits a broadcast message, wherein the broadcast message includes an identification of a third party service provider supported by the cell of the DU.

In some embodiments, the broadcast message is a SIB1 message.

In some embodiments, the broadcast message includes a correspondence of a Cell identity (Cell ID) of the base station with identities of one or more third party service providers.

In some embodiments, the broadcast message includes an identification of a third party service provider supported by both the cell of the DU and the core network device. The CU may interact with the core network in advance to obtain the identity of the third party service provider supported by the core network and add it to the broadcast message. Therefore, the success rate of terminal access is improved.

In step S304, in case that the third party facilitator supported by the user is included in the third party facilitator in the broadcast message, the terminal transmits an access request to the DU.

In step S306, the DU obtains an identification of the third party facilitator selected by the terminal. The third party service provider selected by the terminal refers to the third party service provider to be used by the terminal in the current access. The user of the terminal may support a plurality of third party service providers and select one from them for access.

In some embodiments, the base station obtains the identity of the third party facilitator selected by the terminal via an RRC connection setup complete (RRC Setup Complete) message.

In step S308, the DU sends a terminal authentication request to the core network device through the CU, where the terminal authentication request includes an identifier of a third party service provider selected by the terminal.

In some embodiments, the core network device authenticates by: the core network equipment acquires user information from a database of a third-party server selected by the terminal; and the core network equipment sends an authentication result passing authentication to the DU in response to the acquired user information including the user corresponding to the terminal authentication request.

In some embodiments, the terminal authentication request is an initial terminal message (INITIAL UE MESSAGE).

In some embodiments, the core network device may perform subsequent operations such as resource scheduling control by using the identifier of the third party service provider selected by the terminal in the terminal authentication request, in addition to authentication.

In step S310, the core network device authenticates the request through the terminal.

In step S312, the DU allows the terminal access. The accessed user may then be referred to as a third party authorized user.

By the method of the embodiment, the base station enables the terminals supporting the same third party service provider to access the network by carrying the identifier of the third party service provider in the broadcast message. Therefore, the user can access across the network, and the flexibility of network service is improved.

In addition to the cell-supported third party facilitators, CUs and DUs may also interact with the identity of the user-supported third party facilitators. An embodiment of the user information interaction method of the present invention is described below with reference to fig. 4.

Fig. 4 illustrates a flow diagram of a user information interaction method according to some embodiments of the invention. As shown in fig. 4, the user information interaction method of this embodiment includes steps S402 to S404.

In step S402, the DU receives user context information sent by the CU, where the user context information includes an identification of a third party facilitator selected by the user.

The CU may send the identity of the third party facilitator selected by the user in response to a variety of circumstances, such as: after the unauthorized user accesses the cell of the DU after being authorized by the third-party service provider, the third-party authorized user is switched from the cell of the original DU to the cell of the new DU, the information of the third-party service provider of the user is changed, and the like.

In some embodiments, after a user accesses the cell of the DU, or after a user switches from the cell of other DUs to the cell of the DU, the DU receives a terminal context setup request (e.g., UE CONTEXT SETUP REQUEST) sent by the CU, wherein the terminal context setup request includes user context information. The DU establishes a context message for the third party authorized user based on the requested content.

In step S404, the DU obtains information of the corresponding third party service provider according to the identifier of the third party service provider selected by the user. Therefore, the DU can perform operations such as resource scheduling and control according to the obtained information of the third-party service provider.

In some embodiments, the DU obtains information of the third party facilitator from the core network device via the CU. The core network device may obtain the corresponding information, for example, by interacting with a third party facilitator's device.

For example, if the information of a third party service provider is QoS requirements, including information of priority, delay, packet loss rate, etc., the DU performs resource scheduling and control with respect to the user of the third party service provider according to the corresponding QoS requirements.

Through the method of the embodiment, after the user is accessed, the CU and the DU can continuously interact with the identification of the third-party service provider supported by the user, so that the information of the third-party service provider of the user can be acquired more accurately, and more accurate operation can be performed.

The embodiment of the invention can also utilize the identification of the third party service provider for switching. In some embodiments, when the identity of the third party service provider supported by the target cell stored by the DU includes an identity of the third party service provider selected or allowed by the access user, the DU may initiate a procedure to hand over the user accessing the cell of the DU to the target cell. An embodiment of the handover method of the present invention is described below with reference to fig. 5 and 6.

Fig. 5 illustrates a flow diagram of a handoff method according to some embodiments of the present invention. As shown in fig. 5, the handover method of this embodiment involves a core network, including steps S502 to S506. In this embodiment, the first base station is set as the source base station and the second base station is set as the target base station. Fig. 5 is an exemplary illustration of a target cell being located at a second base station. The target cell may also be located at the first base station, depending on the actual handover scenario.

In step S502, the DU of the first base station sends a first handover request of the user to the core network device through the CU, where the first handover request includes an identifier of a target cell to which the user intends to handover.

In step S504, in the case that the target cell does not support the third party service provider allowed by the user, the core network device sends a handover failure message to the DU of the first base station through the CU.

In some embodiments, the DUs of the first base station store third party service providers supported by the cells of the second base station through pre-conducted interactions between the base stations. However, it may happen that a third party service provider supported by the second base station changes, while the DU of the first base station is not updated. In this case, there is a possibility of handover failure.

In step S506, in the case that the target cell supports the third party service provider allowed by the user, the core network device sends a second handover request to the target cell.

In some embodiments, the second base station also employs a split architecture, which is not described in detail herein.

By the method of the embodiment, the core network can determine whether to request the target cell to switch according to the supporting condition of the target cell to the third party service provider by the user requesting to switch. Thereby improving the success rate of switching and improving the user experience.

In some embodiments, after step S504, the handover method further includes step S508.

In step S508, when a handover failure message sent by the core network device is received, the DU of the first base station updates the stored identity of the third party service provider supported by the target cell. The handover failure message includes an identification of the third party service provider supported by the target cell.

Therefore, the DU of the first base station can timely update the information stored by itself in response to the switching failure. The subsequent DUs of the first base station may temporarily not initiate a handover to the target cell according to the stored information.

In some embodiments, after step S506, the handover method further includes step S510. In this embodiment, the second handover request includes an identifier of a third party service provider allowed or selected by the user requesting the handover and an identifier of a target cell to be handed over by the user.

The third party service provider allowed by the user refers to the third party service provider which the user has subscribed to and can use, and the third party service provider selected by the user refers to the third party service provider used when the user accesses the network currently.

In some embodiments, if the user informs the third party service provider selected by the core network at the time of access, the second handover request includes an identification of the third party service provider selected by the user; if the user does not inform the selected third party service provider of the core network but only the allowed third party service provider of the core network at the time of access, the second handover request comprises the identification of the allowed third party service provider of the user.

In step S510, the second base station transmits a handover failure message to the core network in case that the third party service provider allowed or selected by the user requesting the handover is different from the third party service provider supported by the cell of the second base station.

The core network stores third party service providers supported by the respective base stations. However, it may happen that the third party service provider supported by the base station changes, and the core network and other base stations are not updated. In this case, there is a possibility of handover failure. Therefore, the second base station can timely feed back the situation, so that the situation that the user cannot continue to use the network service due to switching to the cell of the second base station is avoided, and the user experience is improved.

Fig. 6 shows a flow chart of a handover method according to further embodiments of the present invention. As shown in fig. 6, the handover method of this embodiment describes handover between base stations, including steps S602 to S604.

In step S602, the DU of the first base station sends a third handover request message to the second base station, where the third handover request message includes an identifier of the target cell to be handed over by the user and an identifier of a third party service provider allowed or selected by the user.

In step S604, in case that the target cell in the second base station supports the third party service provider allowed or selected by the user, the second base station transmits a handover request confirm message to the DU of the first base station.

In some embodiments, the second base station may also employ a separate architecture, which is not described in detail herein.

Therefore, when the target cell of the second base station supports the identification of the third party service provider allowed or selected by the user, the second base station accepts the switching, and the success rate and the user experience of the switching are improved.

In some embodiments, the handover method further comprises step S606.

In step S606, the DU of the second base station stores the identity of the third party service provider allowed or selected by the user for subsequent paging, handover, etc. procedures of the user.

An embodiment of the network service device of the present invention is described below with reference to fig. 7.

Fig. 7 illustrates a schematic diagram of a network service device according to some embodiments of the present invention. As shown in fig. 7, the network service apparatus 700 of this embodiment includes: a sending module 7100 configured to send a bearer message to the CU, wherein the bearer message includes an identity of a third party facilitator supported by the cell of the DU; a receiving module 7200 configured to receive a broadcast message generated by the CU, sent by the CU, wherein the broadcast message includes an identity of a third party facilitator supported by the cell of the DU; a broadcast module 7300 configured to transmit broadcast messages.

In some embodiments, the network service device 700 further comprises: an access module 7400 configured to: receiving an access request sent by a terminal of a user, wherein a third party service provider in a broadcast message comprises a third party service provider supported by the user; obtaining the identification of a third party service provider selected by the terminal; sending a terminal authentication request to core network equipment through a CU, wherein the terminal authentication request comprises an identifier of a third party service provider selected by a terminal; and responding to the authentication request of the core network equipment through the terminal, and allowing the terminal to access.

In some embodiments, the network service device 700 further comprises: an information acquisition module 7500 configured to: receiving user context information sent by a CU, wherein the user context information comprises an identifier of a third party service provider selected by a user; and obtaining the corresponding information of the third-party service provider according to the identification of the third-party service provider selected by the user.

In some embodiments, the information acquisition module 7500 is further configured to receive a terminal context establishment request sent by the CU after the user accesses the cell of the DU or after the user switches from the cell of the other DU to the cell of the DU, wherein the terminal context establishment request includes the user context information.

In some embodiments, the information acquisition module 7500 is further configured to receive a terminal context modification request sent by the CU in the event of a change in information of a third party server of a user accessing the DU, wherein the terminal context modification request includes user context information.

In some embodiments, the network service device 700 further comprises: the scheduling control module 7600 is configured to schedule or control resources for the user according to information of the corresponding third party service provider.

In some embodiments, the network service apparatus 700 further comprises a switching module 7700 configured to: and initiating a process of switching the user accessing the cell of the DU to the target cell, wherein the identification of the third party service provider supported by the target cell and stored by the DU comprises the identification of the third party service provider selected or allowed by the access user.

In some embodiments, the switching module 7700 is further configured to: and sending a first switching request of the user to the core network through the CU, wherein the first switching request comprises the identification of a target cell to be switched by the user, so that the core network sends a switching failure message to the DU under the condition that the target cell does not support a third party service provider allowed by the user, and sends a second switching request to the target cell under the condition that the target cell supports the third party service provider allowed by the user.

In some embodiments, the switching module 7700 is further configured to: a third switching request message is sent to a base station where a target cell is located, wherein the third switching request message comprises the identification of the target cell and the identification of a third party service provider allowed or selected by a user; and receiving a switching request confirmation message sent by the base station where the target cell is located in response to the third party service provider allowed or selected by the target cell supporting user.

An embodiment of the network service system of the present invention is described below with reference to fig. 8.

Fig. 8 illustrates a schematic diagram of a network service system according to some embodiments of the invention. As shown in fig. 8, the network service system 80 of this embodiment includes: DU810 including any of the aforementioned network service devices 700; and a centralization unit CU820 configured to generate a broadcast message including an identification of the third party service provider supported by the cell of the DU 820.

Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating a network service device according to other embodiments of the present invention. As shown in fig. 9, the network service apparatus 90 of this embodiment includes: a memory 910 and a processor 920 coupled to the memory 910, the processor 920 configured to execute the network service method of any of the foregoing embodiments based on instructions stored in the memory 910.

The memory 910 may include, for example, system memory, fixed nonvolatile storage media, and so forth. The system memory stores, for example, an operating system, application programs, boot Loader (Boot Loader), and other programs.

Fig. 10 shows a schematic structural diagram of a network service device according to further embodiments of the present invention. As shown in fig. 10, the network service apparatus 100 of this embodiment includes: the memory 1010 and the processor 1020 may also include an input-output interface 1030, a network interface 1040, a storage interface 1050, and the like. These interfaces 1030, 1040, 1050 and the memory 1010 and processor 1020 may be connected by, for example, a bus 1060. The input/output interface 1030 provides a connection interface for input/output devices such as a display, a mouse, a keyboard, a touch screen, and the like. Network interface 1040 provides a connection interface for a variety of networking devices. Storage interface 1050 provides a connection interface for external storage devices such as SD cards, U-discs, and the like.

An embodiment of the present invention also provides a computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program, wherein the program, when executed by a processor, implements any one of the aforementioned network service methods.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that embodiments of the present invention may be provided as a method, system, or computer program product. Accordingly, the present invention may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, the present invention may take the form of a computer program product embodied on one or more computer-usable non-transitory storage media (including, but not limited to, disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.) having computer-usable program code embodied therein.

The present invention is described with reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems) and computer program products according to embodiments of the invention. It will be understood that each flowchart and/or block of the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of flowcharts and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, embedded processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart flow or flows and/or block diagram block or blocks.

These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce an article of manufacture including instruction means which implement the function specified in the flowchart flow or flows and/or block diagram block or blocks.

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

The foregoing description of the preferred embodiments of the invention is not intended to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed, and any such modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention are intended to be included within the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A network service method, comprising:

a distribution unit DU of a base station sends a bearing message to a CU, wherein the bearing message comprises an identifier of a third party service provider supported by a cell of the DU;

the DU receives a broadcast message sent by the CU and generated by the CU, wherein the broadcast message comprises an identification of a third party service provider supported by a cell of the DU;

the DU transmits the broadcast message;

wherein for a user without access rights to a network, the user is able to use the local network in case the user signs up for the third party facilitator and the network and the third party facilitator are able to provide a third party authorisation service to the local network.

2. The network service method of claim 1, wherein:

the bearing message is an interface establishment request message; or,

the bearer message is a DU configuration update message.

3. The network service method of claim 1, further comprising:

the DU receives an access request sent by a terminal of a user, wherein a third party service provider in the broadcast message comprises the third party service provider supported by the user;

the DU obtains the identification of the third party service provider selected by the terminal;

the DU sends a terminal authentication request to core network equipment through the CU, wherein the terminal authentication request comprises the identification of a third party service provider selected by the terminal;

the DU allows the terminal to access in response to the core network device passing the terminal authentication request.

4. The network service method of claim 1, further comprising:

the DU receives user context information sent by the CU, wherein the user context information comprises an identifier of a third party service provider selected by a user;

and the DU obtains the corresponding information of the third-party service provider according to the identification of the third-party service provider selected by the user.

5. The network service method according to claim 4, wherein the DU receives a terminal context establishment request transmitted by the CU after a user accesses a cell of the DU or after a user switches from a cell of other DUs to a cell of the DU, wherein the terminal context establishment request includes the user context information.

6. The network service method according to claim 4, wherein the DU receives a terminal context modification request transmitted by the CU in case that information of a third party facilitator of a user accessing the DU is changed, wherein the terminal context modification request includes the user context information.

7. The network service method of claim 4, further comprising:

and the DU performs resource scheduling or control on the user according to the information of the corresponding third-party service provider.

8. The network service method according to claim 1 or 4, further comprising:

the DU initiates a process of switching a user accessing a cell of the DU to a target cell, wherein the identification of a third party service provider supported by the target cell stored by the DU includes an identification of a third party service provider selected or allowed by the user.

9. The network service method of claim 8, wherein the DU initiates the procedure of switching a user accessing a cell of the DU to a target cell comprises:

the DU sends a first switching request of a user to a core network through the CU, wherein the first switching request comprises an identification of a target cell to be switched by the user, so that the core network sends a switching failure message to the DU under the condition that the target cell does not support a third party service provider allowed by the user, and sends a second switching request to the target cell under the condition that the target cell supports the third party service provider allowed by the user.

10. The network service method of claim 8, wherein the DU initiates the procedure of switching a user accessing a cell of the DU to a target cell comprises:

the DU sends a third switching request message to a base station where the target cell is located, wherein the third switching request message comprises the identification of the target cell and the identification of a third party service provider allowed or selected by a user;

the DU receives a handover request acknowledgement message sent by the base station where the target cell is located in response to the target cell supporting a third party service provider allowed or selected by the user.

11. The network service method of claim 1, wherein the bearer message comprises a list of cell identities of the DUs, and identities of third party servers corresponding to each cell identity, wherein each identity has corresponding priority information.

12. The network service method of claim 1, wherein the identification of the third party facilitator comprises an identification of a third party facilitator supported by the public network and an identification of a third party facilitator not supported by the public network.

13. A network service apparatus, a distribution unit DU located at a base station, comprising:

a sending module configured to send a bearer message to a CU, wherein the bearer message includes an identity of a third party facilitator supported by a cell of the DU;

a receiving module configured to receive a broadcast message sent by the CU and generated by the CU, wherein the broadcast message includes an identity of a third party service provider supported by a cell of the DU;

a broadcast module configured to transmit the broadcast message;

14. A network service apparatus comprising:

a memory; and

a processor coupled to the memory, the processor configured to perform the network service method of any of claims 1-12 based on instructions stored in the memory.

15. A network service system, comprising:

a distribution unit DU comprising the network service device of claim 13 or 14; and

a centralization unit CU configured to generate a broadcast message comprising an identification of a third party service provider supported by a cell of said DU.

16. A computer readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program which when executed by a processor implements the network service method of any of claims 1 to 12.