Abstract: A communication method in which access network devices belonging to a same network instance have different network addresses, where the method includes uniquely identifying an access network device based on a network address of the access network device and a first network instance identifier to which the access network device belongs, and determining a packet forwarding rule for sending a packet to the access network device. In this way, the packet can be accurately routed.

Abstract: A method in the embodiments of the application includes: obtaining, by a first network element, first data that corresponds to a service flow and that is on each of at least two network elements, where the first data that corresponds to the service flow and that is on each of the network elements includes a first identifier; obtaining, by the first network element based on the first identifier and the first data that corresponds to the service flow and that is on each of the network elements, second data that corresponds to the service flow, where the second data includes at least the first data that corresponds to the service flow and that is on each of the network elements.

Abstract: A service continuity ensuring method, a control plane gateway, and a mobility management network element, where the method includes: receiving, by a control plane gateway (C-GW), current location information of a user equipment (UE) sent by a mobility management network element; selecting, by the C-GW, at least one forwarding distributed gateway (D-GW) for the UE according to the current location information of the UE; establishing, by the C-GW for the UE, a data forwarding tunnel between a source D-GW of the UE and the forwarding D-GW; and establishing a data forwarding tunnel between the forwarding D-GW and a target base station of the UE, where the data forwarding tunnels are used to transmit uplink user plane data and/or downlink user plane data of the UE in a moving process of the UE.

Abstract: The embodiment of the present application relates a user plane resource management method, a user plane network element, and a control plane network. The method carried out by a user plane network element includes: receiving a data transmission channel establishment request message sent by a control plane network element, where the data transmission channel establishment request message is used to instruct the user plane network element to establish a data transmission channel; establishing the data transmission channel based on current user plane resource status information, and assigning a channel identifier marking the data transmission channel; and sending, the channel identifier to the control plane network element.

Abstract: An exemplary embodiment provides a communication method and an apparatus. The method includes: receiving, by a UCF, a first message from a terminal device, where the first message includes first information and an identifier of the terminal device; learning, by the UCF, of a first service type based on the first message; learning, by the UCF based on the service type and the identifier of the terminal device, of a first NF that serves the terminal device; and sending, by the UCF, the first information to the first NF, where the first information is information that the terminal device sends to the first NF.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to terminal positioning methods, apparatus, and systems. In one example method, a first device obtains a first indication from a first network, where the first indication is used to indicate that a terminal is to be handed over to a second network. The first device obtains an identifier of a mobility management network element of the second network. The first device sends first information to the mobility management network element of the second network, where the first information is used to execute a location service for the terminal.

Abstract: This application provides a user plane data obtaining method. The method includes: A first network element sends a first request message to a session management function network element, where the first request message is used to indicate the session management function network element to request a user plane function network element to provide user plane data. The first network element obtains the user plane data from the user plane function network element.

Abstract: This application discloses a gateway configuration method and a gateway device, so as to resolve problems of a relatively heavy configuration workload, update inflexibility, and low configuration efficiency that exist when an OM entity is used to uniformly configure gateways in an LTE system. The method includes: configuring, by a control plane gateway, a parameter for a user plane gateway, and sending, by the control plane gateway, a configuration message to the user plane gateway, where the configuration message carries the configuration parameter configured by the control plane gateway for the user plane gateway. In this application, the control plane gateway configures the parameter for the user plane gateway, so that the control plane gateway implements configuration of the user plane gateway, and configuration flexibility and configuration efficiency are improved.

Abstract: This application provides an example group management method, apparatus, and system. The example group management method includes receiving a first group request from an application function network element, where the first group request includes indication information, an external group identifier, and first group information, and where the indication information indicates a group service type, and the external group identifier is a group identifier that is not identified by a network element by a network element inside a core network, in response to that the group service type is creating a group, obtaining an internal group identifier corresponding to the external group identifier, and associating the internal group identifier, the external group identifier, and the first group information, where internal group identifier is a group identifier that is identified by the network element inside the core network.

Abstract: Example session management methods and apparatus are described. One example method includes allocating a first IP address and a first user plane network element to a terminal by a session management network element. The first user plane network element allocated to the terminal supports the first IP address.

Abstract: A method supports transfer of service traffic between an external network entity and a second network entity. The method includes: sending, by the second network entity, a first transfer request to a first network entity, wherein the transfer request includes first service traffic; receiving, by the first network entity, the first transfer request from the second network entity, and sending, by the first network entity, a second transfer request to the external network entity, the second transfer request including the first service traffic; and receiving, by the second network entity, a fourth transfer request from the first network entity, the fourth transfer request including second service traffic.

Abstract: A method for obtaining an IP address of a terminal device comprising: an application function network element sends a first event registration request to a capability exposure network element, where the first event registration request is used to request to obtain, from the capability exposure network element, an IP address of a terminal device in a group, the application function network element receives a first event notification message from the capability exposure network element, where the first event notification message includes an IP address of a first terminal device in the group.

Abstract: An Internet Protocol (IP) address allocation method and a device to resolve a technical problem that an IP address conflict occurs when a control plane device and a user plane device allocate an IP address for one user equipment (UE) at the same time. When receiving a session establishment request message, a control plane network device may determine whether a first user plane network device is capable of allocating an IP address for a terminal device. If the first user plane network device is capable of allocating the IP address for the terminal device, the control plane network device may send an address allocation indication to the first user plane network device.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to external services provided to a network. In particular, the disclosure proposes network entities that are involved in the registration of an external network entity and/or of one or more services provided by the external network entity and entities that are involved in the transfer of service traffic from an external network entity providing one or more services to another network entity consuming the one or more services. For instance, the disclosure proposes a network entity for supporting registration of the external network entity and/or one or more services of the external network entity at another network entity.

Abstract: Embodiments of this application provide a group communications method and system, and a device. The method includes: when a first terminal initiates access to a local area network group, obtaining, by a group management function network element, an identifier of a first user plane network element to be accessed by the first terminal, context information of the local area network group, and a first session port identifier; creating, for the local area network group, a rule group applied to a first session port, and creating or updating, for the local area network group based on the context information, a local area network group FAR applied to the first user plane network element; and sending a first message to a session management network element, for configuring the rule group on the first session port, and configuring the local area network group FAR on the first user plane network element.

Abstract: A communication method and a communications apparatus are disclosed. The method is performed by a control plane function entity and includes: obtaining a correspondence between address information of a user plane function entity and a user plane capability supported by the user plane function entity; receiving a request message from an application server, where the request message is used to request to establish a session for a first service and includes service information of the first service, and the service information includes at least one of broadcast area information and service type information; determining address information of a target user plane function entity based on the correspondence and the service information; and establishing a session connection to the target user plane function entity based on the address information.

Abstract: A session management method, an access management function device, and a session management device, where the method is carried out by an access and mobility management network element and includes: obtaining first subscription data of a terminal in a first communications network and second subscription data of the terminal in a second communications network, where the first subscription data includes a data network name (DNN), and the second subscription data includes an access point name (APN) corresponding to the DNN; allocating a bearer identifier to a bearer in a packet data network (PDN) connection corresponding to the APN; receiving a flow identifier that is of a flow in a protocol data unit (PDU) session corresponding to the DNN and that is sent by a session management network element; and sending the bearer identifier and the flow identifier to the terminal.

Abstract: A data transmission method and a related apparatus are disclosed. The method is performed by a local MBMS functional entity, and includes obtaining local MBMS bearer information by using an interface between the local MBMS functional entity and an MBMS functional entity in a core network, after receiving application layer data sent by a local application server, determining a local MBMS bearer information matching the application layer data, and sending the application layer data based on the local MBMS bearer information matching the application layer data.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure disclose a function scheduling method, a device, and a system. The method includes: sending, by a control plane network element, a first request to a user plane network element, where the first request is used to request the user plane network element to perform a first function, and the first function is a function supported by both the control plane network element and the user plane network element; and disabling, by the control plane network element, the first function. In the solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure, a function supported by both the user plane network element and the control plane network element can be flexibly processed.

Abstract: A communication method and a communications apparatus are disclosed. The method is performed by a control plane function entity and includes: obtaining a correspondence between address information of a user plane function entity and a user plane capability supported by the user plane function entity; receiving a request message from an application server, where the request message is used to request to establish a session for a first service and includes service information of the first service, and the service information includes at least one of broadcast area information and service type information; determining address information of a target user plane function entity based on the correspondence and the service information; and establishing a session connection to the target user plane function entity based on the address information.