TECHNICAL FIELD

This application relates to the field of communications technologies, and in particular, to a communication method and an access network device.

BACKGROUND

A 5th generation (5th-generation, 5G) mobile communications system supports various types of network deployment and application types, including an access capability with higher-rate experience and higher bandwidth, highly reliable information exchange with a lower delay, and access and management of larger-scale low cost machine type (machine-type communication, MTC) devices. To meet the requirements, the 5G system defines a QoS flow (flow)-based quality of service (quality of service. QoS) framework, and the framework supports a guaranteed flow rate QoS flow and a non-guaranteed flow rate QoS flow.

A reflective QoS mechanism is introduced to the 5G system, and is a method for obtaining an uplink data transmission QoS rule by a terminal device. A basic idea of the mechanism is that the terminal device derives the uplink data transmission QoS rule based on a downlink data packet.

In the 5G system, how to implement QoS control is a problem to be considered.

SUMMARY

To resolve a technical problem, embodiments of this application provide a communication method and an access network device, so as to implement QoS control.

According to a first aspect, an embodiment of this application provides a communication method, including:

Step 1: A first access network device sends a first message to a second access network device, where the first message carries a QFI for a split bearer corresponding to the first access network device and a QoS parameter corresponding to the QFI.

Step 2: The first access network device receives a second message from the second access network device, where the second message is a response to the first message.

According to a second aspect, an embodiment of this application provides a communications apparatus, including a unit or a means (means) configured to perform the steps in the first aspect.

According to a third aspect, an embodiment of this application provides a communications apparatus, including at least one processing element and at least one storage element, where the at least one storage element is configured to store a program and data, and the at least one processing element is configured to perform the method provided in the first aspect of the embodiments of this application.

According to a fourth aspect, an embodiment of this application provides a communications apparatus, including at least one processing element (or chip) configured to perform the method in the first aspect.

According to a fifth aspect, an embodiment of this application provides a communication method program, where when the program is executed by a processor, the program is used to perform the method in the first aspect.

According to a sixth aspect, an embodiment of this application provides a program product, for example, a computer readable storage medium, including the program in the fifth aspect.

It can be learned that, in all the foregoing aspects, for a GBR QoS flow transmitted between a core network and a primary base station, the primary base station implements centralized control over the GBR QoS flow, and a GBR QoS performance requirement is finally met. Specifically, for a same GBR QoS flow, the primary base station effectively ensures QoS for a GBR QoS flow part transmitted between the primary base station and UE, and a secondary base station effectively ensures QoS for a QoS flow part transmitted between the secondary base station and the UE. The secondary base station may perform effective radio resource management at the secondary base station based on these GBR QoS parameters, and further ensure performance of the GBR QoS parameter through air interface resource scheduling, logical channel priority scheduling at a radio link layer, and the like.

With reference to the first aspect to the sixth aspect, in a possible implementation, the QoS parameter corresponding to the QFI for the split bearer corresponding to the first access network device includes a GBR QoS parameter, and the GBR QoS parameter includes a guaranteed flow bit rate GFBR that the second access network device needs to meet and a maximum bit rate MFBR that the second access network device needs to meet.

With reference to the first aspect to the sixth aspect, in a possible implementation, the first message further carries a mapping relationship between a bearer and/or a split bearer corresponding to the first access network device and a QoS parameter.

With reference to the first aspect to the sixth aspect, in a possible implementation, the first message further carries a to-be-switched QFI and a QoS parameter corresponding to the to-be-switched QFI.

The secondary base station may independently determine, based on the to-be-switched QFI and the QoS parameter corresponding to the to-be-switched QFI, whether to establish an SCG bearer or an SCG split bearer, and this is different from a case in which the primary base station makes a final decision for the secondary base station. The secondary base station may independently determine whether to establish one bearer or establish a plurality of bearers, and may also independently determine a mapping relationship between a QoS flow and an SCG bearer or an SCG bearer, so that the secondary base station can meet a QoS parameter requirement to a greatest extent based on a load status of the secondary base station, a QoS parameter, a channel condition, and the like, thereby improving final user experience.

In addition, based on the first message, the secondary base station may preferably use a same bearer configuration and a same configuration relationship between a QoS flow and a bearer as the primary base station, to avoid a case in which flows are out of order. For a TCP-based service, an invalid TCP congestion avoidance mechanism is avoided, thereby improving a user throughput.

With reference to the first aspect to the sixth aspect, in a possible implementation, the second message carries a QFI for a split bearer corresponding to the second access network device and a QoS parameter corresponding to the QFI.

With reference to the first aspect to the sixth aspect, in a possible implementation, the first access network device receives a third message from the second access network device, where the third message carries a QFI for a split bearer corresponding to the second access network device and a QoS parameter corresponding to the QFI.

With reference to the first aspect to the sixth aspect, in a possible implementation, the first access network device performs data transmission based on the QFI for the split bearer corresponding to the second access network device and the QoS parameter corresponding to the QFI.

With reference to the first aspect to the sixth aspect, in a possible implementation, the QoS parameter corresponding to the QFI for the split bearer corresponding to the second access network device includes a GBR QoS parameter, and the GBR QoS parameter includes a GFBR that the first access network device needs to meet and an MFBR that the first access network device needs to meet.

For a GBR QoS flow transmitted between the core network and the secondary base station, the secondary base station implements centralized control over the GBR QoS flow, and a GBR QoS performance requirement is finally met. Specifically, for a same GBR QoS flow, the secondary base station effectively ensures QoS for a GBR QoS flow part transmitted between the secondary base station and the UE, and the primary base station effectively ensures QoS for a QoS flow part transmitted between the primary base station and the UE. In addition, the primary base station may perform effective radio resource management at the primary base station based on these GBR QoS parameters, and further ensure performance of the GBR QoS parameter through air interface resource scheduling, logical channel priority scheduling at the radio link layer, and the like.

According to a seventh aspect, an embodiment of this application provides a communication method, including:

Step 1: A first access network device obtains reflective quality of service QoS capability information of a terminal device, where the reflective QoS capability information indicates that the terminal device has or does not have a reflective QoS capability.

Step 2: The first access network device sends a first message to a second access network device, where the first message carries the reflective QoS capability information of the terminal device.

According to an eighth aspect, an embodiment of this application provides a communications apparatus, including a unit or a means (means) configured to perform the steps in the seventh aspect.

According to a ninth aspect, an embodiment of this application provides a communications apparatus, including at least one processing element and at least one storage element, where the at least one storage element is configured to store a program and data, and the at least one processing element is configured to perform the method provided in the seventh aspect of the embodiments of this application.

According to a tenth aspect, an embodiment of this application provides a communications apparatus, including at least one processing element (or chip) configured to perform the method in the seventh aspect.

According to an eleventh aspect, an embodiment of this application provides a communication method program, where when the program is executed by a processor, the program is used to perform the method in the seventh aspect.

According to a twelfth aspect, an embodiment of this application provides a program product, for example, a computer readable storage medium, including the program in the fifth aspect.

It can be learned that, in all the foregoing aspects, the first access network device may transmit a QFI for a split bearer corresponding to the first access network device and a QoS parameter corresponding to the QFI to the second access network device. In this way, a primary base station can transmit the QoS parameter to a secondary base station.

With reference to the seventh aspect to the twelfth aspect, in a possible implementation, the second access network device performs data transmission based on the QFI for the split bearer corresponding to the first access network device and the QoS parameter corresponding to the QFI.

With reference to the seventh aspect to the twelfth aspect, in a possible implementation, the QoS parameter corresponding to the QFI for the split bearer corresponding to the first access network device includes a GBR QoS parameter, and the GBR QoS parameter includes a GFBR that the second access network device needs to meet and an MFBR that the second access network device needs to meet.

With reference to the seventh aspect to the twelfth aspect, in a possible implementation, the first message further carries a mapping relationship between a bearer and/or a split bearer corresponding to the first access network and a QoS parameter; and the second access network device transmits, by using the mapping relationship between a bearer or a split bearer corresponding to the first access network and a QoS parameter, a QoS flow received from the first access network device.

With reference to the seventh aspect to the twelfth aspect, in a possible implementation, the first message further carries a to-be-switched QFI and a QoS parameter corresponding to the to-be-switched QFI; and the second access network device establishes, based on the to-be-switched QFI and the QoS parameter corresponding to the to-be-switched QFI, a bearer corresponding to the second access network device and a mapping relationship between the bearer corresponding to the second access network device and the QoS parameter corresponding to the to-be-switched QFI.

With reference to the seventh aspect to the twelfth aspect, in a possible implementation, the second access network device sends a second message to the first access network device, where the second message is a response to the first message, and the second message includes a QFI for a split bearer corresponding to the second access network device and a QoS parameter corresponding to the QFI.

With reference to the seventh aspect to the twelfth aspect, in a possible implementation, the second access network device determines to establish a split bearer corresponding to the second access network device; and the second access network device sends a third message to the first access network device, where the third message includes a QFI for the split bearer corresponding to the second access network device and a QoS parameter corresponding to the QFI.

With reference to the seventh aspect to the twelfth aspect, in a possible implementation, the QoS parameter corresponding to the QFI for the split bearer corresponding to the second access network device includes a GBR QoS parameter, and the GBR QoS parameter includes a GFBR that the first access network device needs to meet and an MFBR that the first access network device needs to meet.

A thirteenth aspect of the embodiments of this application further provides a communication method, including:

obtaining, by a first access network device, reflective quality of service QoS capability information of a terminal device, where the reflective QoS capability information indicates that the terminal device has or does not have a reflective QoS capability; and

sending, by the first access network device, a first message to a second access network device, where the first message carries the reflective QoS capability information of the terminal device.

In a possible implementation, before the sending, by the first access network device, a first message to a second access network device, the method further includes:

receiving, by the first access network device, first reflective QoS information from a core network device, where the first reflective QoS information is used to indicate a QFI for performing reflective QoS by the terminal device and a reflective QoS attribute RQA corresponding to the QFI.

In a possible implementation, the first message further carries second reflective QoS information, and the first reflective QoS information is used to indicate the QFI and the RQA corresponding to the QFI.

In a possible implementation, the first access network device receives first notification control information from the second access network device, where the first notification control information indicates a defect QFI that is in a guaranteed bit rate GBR QoS parameter for a bearer or a split bearer corresponding to the second access network device and that does not meet a preset GBR QoS parameter, and a GBR QoS parameter that corresponds to the defect QFI and that does not meet the preset GBR QoS parameter, and the GBR QoS parameter includes a GFBR and an MFBR.

In a possible implementation, the first access network device hands over a GBR QoS flow corresponding to the defect QFI from a bearer or a split bearer corresponding to the second access network device to a bearer or a split bearer corresponding to the first access network device: or the first access network device sends second notification control information to the core network device, where the second notification control information indicates the defect QFI, and the GBR QoS parameter that corresponds to the defect QFI and that does not meet the preset GBR QoS parameter.

A fourteenth aspect of the embodiments of this application further provides a communication method, including:

receiving, by a second access network device, a first message from a first access network device, where the first message carries reflective QoS capability information of a terminal device, and the reflective QoS capability information indicates that the terminal device has or does not have a reflective QoS capability; and

if the reflective QoS capability information indicates that the terminal device has a reflective QoS capability, sending, by the second access network device to the terminal device, a data packet that carries a QFI.

In a possible implementation, the first message further carries reflective QoS information, and the reflective QoS information is used to indicate a QFI for performing reflective QoS by the terminal device and an RQA corresponding to the QFI.

In a possible implementation, the second access network device sends first notification control information to the first access network device when determining that a GBR QoS parameter for a bearer or a split bearer corresponding to the second access network device does not meet a preset GBR QoS parameter, where the first notification control information is used to indicate a defect QFI that does not meet the preset GBR QoS parameter, and a GBR QoS parameter that corresponds to the defect QFI and that does not meet the preset GBR QoS parameter.

