Abstract: A communication method and apparatus are provided to support a terminal device in indirectly sending data to a first network element via an application provider. The method includes an application provider obtaining first indication information and receiving first data information from the terminal device. The application provider sends the first data information to the first network element based on the first indication information. The first indication information indicates that the data is transmitted between the terminal device and the first network element via the application provider.

Abstract: An information processing method, a communication apparatus, and a communication system are provided. A core network control plane network element receives a tunnel establishment request from an application function entity, where the tunnel establishment request is used to request to establish a shared tunnel for transmitting data by a terminal device; the core network control plane network element determines a tunnel configuration policy corresponding to the tunnel establishment request; the core network control plane network element selects a session management network element based on the tunnel establishment request; and the core network control plane network element sends the tunnel configuration policy to the session management network element, where the tunnel configuration policy is used to indicate the session management network element to trigger establishment of the shared tunnel between an access network node and a user plane function network element.

Abstract: A method for providing a restricted service and a communications device, where the method includes: receiving, by a policy control function (PCF), an identifier of a terminal and indication information, where the indication information is used to indicate that the terminal is in a state of exception or indicate an exception type of the terminal; and sending, by the PCF, the identifier of the terminal and a first restricted service policy according to the indication information, where the first restricted service policy is used to provide a restricted service for the terminal.

Abstract: In a media data transmission method, an access network device receives layered coding information of a media flow, where the media flow is a target service; the access network device determines a plurality of multicast groups based on the layered coding information and information about terminal devices that access the target service; and the access network device sends a media data packet of the target service to the terminal devices based on the plurality of multicast groups. By using the method, multicast grouping may be performed on a plurality of terminal devices that access a same service, and further differentiated transmission is performed on media data of the same service. This improves a data transmission speed of the access network device, and improves a data throughput in a signal coverage area of the access network device.

Abstract: A communication method includes receiving indication information from a session management function (SMF) network element. The indication information indicates that downlink data of a first terminal device arrives at a core network side. The communication method also includes, in response to an extended discontinuous reception (eDRX) cycle of the first terminal device being greater than or equal to a first threshold, sending an eDRX parameter to a first access network device based on capability information of the first terminal device and capability information of the first access network device. The first access network device is any access network device in a tracking area (TA) list of the first terminal device.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present application provide a coverage enhancement (CE) function implementation method and a device. The method may include obtaining, by a first radio access network node, CE authorization information of a terminal. The CE authorization information may include at least one of the following: CE indication information and an authorized CE level range. Further, the method may include determining, by the first radio access network node based on the CE authorization information, whether a CE level of the terminal meets an authorization requirement, and controlling, based on an authorization result, use of a CE function by the terminal. It can be learned that, not all terminals can use the CE function, but only an authorized terminal can use the CE function, to ensure that the terminal can use the CE function properly within an authorized range and to improve radio channel resource use efficiency.

Abstract: A communication method includes obtaining, by a first network element, first reduced capability (REDCAP) information from a terminal apparatus, obtaining, by the first network element, second REDCAP information that is subscribed by the terminal apparatus, and determining, by the first network element based on the first REDCAP information and the second REDCAP information, whether to allow the terminal apparatus to use a service corresponding to the first REDCAP information.

Abstract: A data processing method and a device are provided, to meet a jitter buffer requirement of playing a real-time media service with a large amount of data, and improve real-time performance and accuracy of data transmission of the real-time media service. The method is performed in a radio access network RAN device, and includes: The RAN obtains first information of first media data, where the first information indicates a size of the first media data (S210); determines a playback policy for the first media data based on the first information, where the playback policy indicates a buffer size or a playback rate (S220); and sends the playback policy to a terminal device UE (S230).

Abstract: A method for providing a restricted service and a communications device, where the method includes: receiving, by a policy control function (PCF), an identifier of a terminal and indication information, where the indication information is used to indicate that the terminal is in a state of exception or indicate an exception type of the terminal; and sending, by the PCF, the identifier of the terminal and a first restricted service policy according to the indication information, where the first restricted service policy is used to provide a restricted service for the terminal.

Abstract: The present invention provides a data processing method, a node, a structure, and an apparatus. The method includes: receiving, by an aggregation node, a first non-access stratum message sent by user equipment UE, where the aggregation node includes at least two types of interfaces, and each type of interface is used to receive a first non-access stratum message of one radio access technology RAT type; converting, by the aggregation node, the first non-access stratum message into a non-access stratum message in a first format based on a RAT type of the first non-access stratum message, where the first format is a non-access stratum message transmission format supported between the aggregation node and a core-network control plane entity; and sending, by the aggregation node, the non-access stratum message in the first format to the core-network control plane entity.

Abstract: This application provides a context management method and apparatus, to resolve a problem that contexts of a large quantity of terminals occupy a large amount of storage space of an AMF entity. The method includes: when a first core network device has stored group information corresponding to a terminal, establishing, by the first core network device, a correspondence between the terminal and the group information. This application relates to the field of communications technologies.

Abstract: A data packet transmission method includes receiving, by a first network element, a first data packet of a first service from an application server. The method also includes determining, by the first network element, first sequence information of a second data packet. The second data packet is a to-be-discarded data packet of the first service. The first sequence information indicates a sequence of the second data packet. The method further includes determining, by the first network element, a third data packet. The third data packet includes the first sequence information. The method additionally includes sending, by the first network element, the third data packet to a terminal device.

Abstract: This application provides methods and communication apparatus for transmitting a data packet of a media stream. The method can include an access network element receiving M data packets of a media stream from a user plane network element. When a network resource of the access network element cannot satisfy a transmission requirement of a terminal device, the access network element drops N data packets with lower priorities in the M data packets, where N?M. The access network element sends, to the terminal device, a data packet that is not dropped and sequence numbers that represent sending sequences of the data packets and that are carried in the N data packets, and receives, from the terminal device, an ACK feedback for the sequence numbers carried in the N data packets. In the solutions discussed herein, video playback experience on a user side can be substantially ensured.

Abstract: This application provides a method and an apparatus for determining an air interface latency and relates to the field of communications technologies. In the method, an access network device obtains an air interface latency of a downlink data packet and schedules the downlink data packet based on the air interface latency of the downlink data packet. The air interface latency of the downlink data packet is calculated based on a round-trip latency, and the round-trip latency is a latency from when a terminal sends an uplink data packet to when the terminal receives the downlink data packet corresponding to the uplink data packet. In the method, the access network device may schedule the downlink data packet based on the air interface latency of the downlink data packet, so as to precisely control a latency in uplink and downlink data transmission.

Abstract: Embodiments of this disclosure provide a communication method and apparatus, to reduce a waiting delay during transmission of retransmitted data and out-of-order data. In this method, a user plane function network element may receive first data and second data, determines, based on first information, that the second data is retransmitted data of the first data, and sends indication information to an access network network element. The indication information herein may indicate that the second data is the retransmitted data, or indicate a sending priority of the second data. Based on this solution, the access network network element may send the first data and the second data based on the indication information, and may preferentially send the retransmitted data to reduce the waiting delay during data transmission.

Abstract: Example data scheduling methods and apparatus are described. One example method includes obtaining, by a base station, capability information of user equipment (UE). The first capability information is used to allocate a data scheduling resource for a data transmission of the terminal device, and the data transmission is through a control plane. The base station indicates allocated data scheduling resource to the terminal device. Then, the base station receives, on the data scheduling resource, a radio resource control connection (RRC) establishment complete signaling, where the RRC connection establishment complete signaling includes a non-access stratum (NAS) message, and the NAS message includes data sent by the terminal device.

Abstract: An access network device receives characteristic information of a first live media stream included in a switching request from a terminal device. The access network device or a user plane network element determines, based on the characteristic information, the first live media stream corresponding to the characteristic information of the first live media stream. Therefore, the access network device or the user plane network element switches a media stream sent to the terminal device, to be specific, switches the live media stream sent to the terminal device from a second live media stream to the first live media. Both the second live media stream and the first live media stream correspond to the access network device or the user plane network element. According to the method, media stream switching can be completed on the access network device side or the user plane network element side.

Abstract: An information determining method and a related device. In the method, a first network element receives first information from a first terminal device, where the first information includes first indication information. The first network element determines, based on the first indication information, a first access network device connected to the first access network device, determines second information based on historical statistical information of a bandwidth between the first access network device and the first terminal device, and further sends the second information to a second network element, where the second information is useable for determining a first code rate, and the first code rate indicates a code rate of media data of first media received by the first terminal device. This improves accuracy and real-time performance of code rate adjustment of the media data, and further improve effectiveness of the code rate adjustment.

Abstract: This application discloses a communications method and apparatus. An example method includes: receiving, by a RAN node, a first message from an AMF node, where the first message includes specified area related information of a terminal device, and the specified area related information is used to indicate a specified area of the terminal device; and when the RAN node determines, based on the specified area related information and first location information of the terminal device, that the terminal device moves out of the specified area, sending, by the RAN node, the first location information or first indication information to the AMF node or an SMF node, where the first indication information is used to indicate that the terminal device already moves out of the specified area.

Abstract: Embodiments of this application provide example media packet transmission methods, apparatuses, and systems, and relate to the field of communication technologies. One example method includes receiving, by a user plane network element, a media packet from an application server. The user plane network element determines association information corresponding to the media packet, where the association information is information associated with a client operation corresponding to the media packet. The user plane network element then sends the media packet to an access network element via a quality of service (QoS) flow corresponding to the association information.