CN109548023B - Network sharing system, network connection method and access method of user equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

Translated fromChinese

本公开提供了一种网络共享系统、网络连接方法、用户设备的接入方法，属于通信技术领域。所述网络共享系统包括：至少两个eNodeB‑CU、一个eNodeB‑DU，每个eNodeB‑CU隶属于不同运营商，所述eNodeB‑DU上设置有至少两个CU‑DU接口，每个CU‑DU接口与一个运营商对应，每个eNodeB‑CU通过所隶属的运营商的CU‑DU接口与所述eNodeB‑DU建立网络连接。由于本公开中每个运营商拥有独立的eNodeB‑CU，可自行决定eNodeB‑CU所支持的功能，且无需与其他运营商协商即可对eNodeB‑CU进行升级管理，并能够独立确定eNodeB‑CU的部分无线参数，因此，提升了运营商在网络共享场景下对网络的自主控制能力及竞争力，并且提高了运维数据的安全性。

The present disclosure provides a network sharing system, a network connection method, and a user equipment access method, belonging to the technical field of communications. The network sharing system includes: at least two eNodeB-CUs and one eNodeB-DU, each eNodeB-CU belongs to a different operator, the eNodeB-DU is provided with at least two CU-DU interfaces, each CU- The DU interface corresponds to one operator, and each eNodeB-CU establishes a network connection with the eNodeB-DU through the CU-DU interface of the operator to which it belongs. Since each operator has an independent eNodeB-CU in this disclosure, it can decide the functions supported by the eNodeB-CU, and can upgrade and manage the eNodeB-CU without negotiating with other operators, and can independently determine the eNodeB-CU Therefore, it improves the operator's autonomous control ability and competitiveness of the network in the network sharing scenario, and improves the security of operation and maintenance data.

Description

Network sharing system, network connection method and access method of user equipment

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to the field of communications technologies, and in particular, to a network sharing system, a network connection method, and an access method for a user equipment.

Background

As the competition for communication services increases, and the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) increases, more and more operators are seeking network sharing. Here, the network sharing refers to sharing of network facilities between two or more operators. By sharing network facilities, the network construction cost can be reduced, and the network operation expenditure can be reduced. In consideration of competition among different operators, sharing of access network hardware resources (i.e., base stations) is mainly performed among different operators at present.

With the evolution of the wireless base station, an evolved node b (E-UTRAN NodeB, eNodeB) can be split into an eNodeB-Central Unit (CU) network element and an eNodeB-Distributed Unit (DU) network element according to functions, and the eNodeB-CU network element and the eNodeB-DU network element are separately deployed. Fig. 1 is a block diagram of a network sharing system under a CU-DU separation architecture, and referring to fig. 1, the system includes: a core Network of operator a, a core Network of operator B, eNodeB-CU, eNodeB-DU, a Network Management System (NMS) of operator a, an NMS of operator B, an Element Management System (EMS), a cell f1 of operator a, and a cell f2 of operator B. The eNodeB-CU and the eNodeB-DU are shared by an operator A and an operator B, the eNodeB-CU is connected with core networks of the operator A and the operator B through a network, and the eNodeB-DU is connected with the eNodeB-CU through the network. The EMS, which is shared by the NMS of operator a and the NMS of operator B, is connected to the eNodeB-CU and eNodeB-DU through the network and manages the eNodeB-CU and eNodeB-DU.

The eNodeB-CU assumes most of the radio network control functions, but since the eNodeB-CU can be implemented mainly by software, it only occupies a small part of the network construction cost. If the eNodeB-CU is shared among a plurality of operators in a traditional way, functional characteristics needing to be supported by negotiating the eNodeB-CU among the operators, wireless network configuration of the eNodeB-CU and software upgrading management problems in negotiating the eNodeB-CU exist, and autonomous control capacity of each operator to the network is not facilitated; in addition, operation and maintenance of the eNodeB-CU are required to be carried out through a public EMS in network operation and maintenance, and the safety of operation and maintenance data is reduced.

Disclosure of Invention

In order to solve the problems in the prior art, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a network sharing system, a network sharing method, and an access method of a user equipment. The technical scheme is as follows:

in a first aspect, a network sharing system is provided, the system comprising: the system comprises at least two eNodeB-CUs and one eNodeB-DU, wherein each eNodeB-CU is subordinate to different operators, at least two CU-DU interfaces are arranged on the eNodeB-DU, each CU-DU interface corresponds to one operator, and each eNodeB-CU is in network connection with the eNodeB-DU through the CU-DU interface of the subordinate operator.

According to the scheme shown in the embodiment of the disclosure, each operator has an independent eNodeB-CU, can select the software version of the eNodeB-CU by self, can determine the functions supported by the CU by self, can perform upgrade management on the eNodeB-CU and determine part of wireless parameters of the eNodeB-CU without negotiation with other operators, improves the autonomous control capability and competitiveness of the operator on a network, and improves the safety of operation and maintenance data.

In a first possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the eNodeB-DU stores therein interface configuration information of each CU-DU interface, and the interface configuration information is used for the CU-DU interface to establish a network connection with an eNodeB-CU of the same operator.

The operator information indicates different operators, including Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) information and the like.

According to the scheme shown in the embodiment of the disclosure, connection is performed based on the interface configuration information corresponding to each CU-DU interface, so that the connection accuracy is improved.

In a second possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the system further includes: at least two operator's core networks, each connected to eNodeB-CUs belonging to the same operator through the network.

In the scheme shown in the embodiment of the disclosure, each eNodeB-CU can access to the core network of the operator by connecting to the core network of the same operator.

In a third possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the system further includes: the system comprises at least two exclusive EMS and a shared EMS, wherein each exclusive EMS belongs to different operators, each exclusive EMS is connected with an eNodeB-CU which belongs to the same operator through a network, the shared EMS is shared by the at least two operators, and the shared EMS is connected with the eNodeB-DU through the network.

According to the scheme shown in the embodiment of the disclosure, the eNodeB-CU and the shared eNodeB-DU of each operator are managed through different EMS, so that the management flexibility is improved.

In a fourth possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the system further includes: at least two NMSs, each of which belongs to a different operator and is connected to a dedicated EMS belonging to the same operator through a network, are connected to a shared EMS through a network.

According to the scheme shown in the embodiment of the disclosure, the NMS is set for each operator, so that the NMS of each operator can manage the exclusive EMS of the same operator, the autonomous control capability of each operator is enhanced, and for the EMS shared by a plurality of operators, the management of the shared eNodeB-DU is further realized through the common management of the NMSs of the plurality of operators.

In a second aspect, an eNodeB-DU network element is provided, where the eNodeB-DU network element has the function of an eNodeB-DU in the network sharing system according to the first aspect. The functions can be realized by hardware, and the functions can also be realized by executing corresponding software by hardware. The hardware includes one or more modules corresponding to the above-described functions.

In a third aspect, a network connection method is provided, where the method is applied to the network sharing system in the first aspect, and the method includes:

the method comprises the steps that an eNodeB-DU acquires interface configuration information of any CU-DU interface, wherein the interface configuration information comprises address information and operator information of an eNodeB-CU matched with the CU-DU interface; the eNodeB-DU transmits a connection request to the eNodeB-CU indicated by the address information, the connection request including operator information; when the eNodeB-CU receives the connection request, the eNodeB-CU acquires operator information of an operator to which the eNodeB-CU belongs; when the operator information in the connection request matches the operator information of the operator to which the eNodeB-CU belongs, the eNodeB-CU establishes a network connection with the eNodeB-DU through the CU-DU interface.

According to the scheme shown in the embodiment of the disclosure, the eNodeB-DU supports a plurality of CU-DU interfaces, each CU-DU interface corresponds to one operator, and network connection is established between each CU-DU interface and the eNodeB-CU of the same operator, so that each operator can manage the network through the own eNodeB-CU, the autonomous control capability and competitiveness of the operator on the network are improved, and the safety of operation and maintenance data is improved. And in the connection establishing process, connection verification is carried out according to the operator information in the connection request and the operator information of each CU-DU interface, so that the connection accuracy is improved.

In a first possible implementation manner of the third aspect, after the eNodeB-CU establishes a network connection with the eNodeB-DU through the CU-DU interface, the method further includes:

the eNodeB-CU sends a connection establishment success response to the eNodeB-DU.

According to the scheme shown in the embodiment of the disclosure, after the network connection between the eNodeB-CU and the eNodeB-DU is successfully established, the eNodeB-DU can further process according to the connection condition by sending the response message.

In a second possible implementation manner of the third aspect, the method further includes:

and when the operator information does not match with the operator information of the operator to which the eNodeB-CU belongs, the eNodeB-CU sends a connection establishment failure response to the eNodeB-DU.

According to the scheme shown in the embodiment of the disclosure, after the network connection between the eNodeB-CU and the eNodeB-DU is successfully established, the eNodeB-DU can further process according to the connection condition by sending the response message.

In a fourth aspect, an access method of a user equipment is provided, where the method is applied to the network sharing system in the first aspect, and the method includes:

when an eNodeB-DU receives an access request of user equipment, the eNodeB-DU determines a cell which the user equipment requests to access; the eNodeB-DU determines the operator of the cell according to the cell; selecting a CU-DU interface corresponding to an operator to which the cell belongs by the eNodeB-DU; and the eNodeB-DU sends the access request to the corresponding eNodeB-CU through the selected CU-DU interface, and the corresponding eNodeB-CU processes the access request.

According to the scheme shown in the embodiment of the disclosure, the access request of the user is sent to the corresponding eNodeB-CU through the CU-DU interfaces of the same operator, so that the request sending is more targeted, and the access success rate is improved.

In a fifth aspect, a network connection device is provided, where the network connection device includes at least two eNodeB-central units CU and one eNodeB-distributed unit DU, where the eNodeB-DU is provided with at least two CU-DU interfaces, each CU-DU interface corresponds to an operator, and the eNodeB-DU stores therein interface configuration information of each CU-DU interface, where the interface configuration information is used for establishing a network connection between the CU-DU interface and an eNodeB-CU of the same operator, and the device is configured to implement the network connection method according to the third aspect.

In a sixth aspect, an access apparatus of a user equipment is provided, where the access apparatus of the user equipment includes at least two eNodeB-central units CU and an eNodeB-distributed unit DU, the eNodeB-DU is provided with at least two CU-DU interfaces, each CU-DU interface corresponds to an operator, and the eNodeB-DU stores interface configuration information of each CU-DU interface, where the interface configuration information is used for establishing a network connection between the CU-DU interface and an eNodeB-CU of the same operator, and the apparatus is used to implement the access method of the user equipment in the fourth aspect.

The technical scheme provided by the embodiment of the disclosure has the following beneficial effects:

each operator has an independent eNodeB-CU, can select the software version of the eNodeB-CU by self, can also determine the functions supported by the eNodeB-CU by self, and can carry out upgrade management on the eNodeB-CU and determine partial wireless parameters of the eNodeB-CU without negotiating with other operators, thereby improving the autonomous control capability and competitiveness of the operators on the network and improving the safety of operation and maintenance data.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a conventional network sharing system;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a network sharing system shown in one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a network sharing system provided by another embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a network sharing system provided by another embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a network sharing system provided by another embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 is an architecture diagram of a network sharing system provided by another embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 7 is a schematic structural diagram of a network connection device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 8 is a schematic structural diagram of an access apparatus of a user equipment according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of a network device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 10 is a schematic structural diagram of a network device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 11 is a flowchart of a network connection method according to another embodiment of the disclosure;

fig. 12 is a flowchart of a user access based on an established network connection according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

To make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the present disclosure more apparent, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

With the development of communication technology, the network upgrading and updating speed is faster and faster, and each upgrading and updating needs to rebuild the network facilities. Considering the high cost of network construction and maintenance, more and more operators share the network to save cost.

In the field of communications, networks mainly include access networks and core networks, where an access network mainly provides network access services and a core network mainly provides communication services and packet services. Considering that the secret-involved degrees of the access network and the core network are different, most operators mainly share the access network at present in order to improve their competitiveness. Specifically, the network sharing mode of the access network includes shared carrier frequency sharing and sub-carrier frequency sharing. The shared carrier frequency refers to all resources of a base station (access network), including hardware resources, carrier frequencies, cells and the like, which can be shared among different operators; the frequency-sharing of the sub-carrier refers to that hardware resources of the base station are shared among different operators, and carrier frequencies, cells and the like are not shared. The sub-carrier frequency sharing requires operators to have own independent spectrum resources, and is an important mode for wireless network sharing. The embodiments of the present disclosure take frequency sharing as an example.

With the evolution of wireless base stations, the eNodeB can be split into two parts, eNodeB-CU and eNodeB-DU, according to the function. The eNodeB-CU is a radio network control part and other non-real-time data processing parts in the eNodeB and is mainly responsible for cell configuration and management and non-real-time data stream processing and aggregation. The eNodeB-CU has lower cost, different operators are independently deployed, and the control capability of the different operators on the wireless network and the differentiated competitive capability among the different operators can be improved. The eNodeB-DU is a real-time processing part in the eNodeB and is mainly responsible for cell resource allocation. Specifically, the cell resource configuration includes configuration of radio frequency information and baseband information used by the cell. The radio frequency information generally includes information such as sectors, cell frequency bands, frequency points, power and the like corresponding to the cells; the baseband information includes a baseband type, a baseband location, and the like. In addition, the eNodeB-DU also configures the operators to which the cells belong, for example, configures the spectrum resources used by each cell, the cell identifier or location of each cell, the operator to which each cell belongs, and stores the spectrum resources used by each cell, the cell identifier or location of each cell, the correspondence between the operators to which each cell belongs, and the like. The eNodeB-DU may be distributively deployed on a Base Transceiver Station (BTS) platform, which includes a Base Band Unit (BBU) and a Remote Radio Unit (RRU). The eNodeB-DU network has higher construction cost, and the cost can be greatly reduced after the eNodeB-DU network is shared among operators.

In order to realize the communication between the eNodeB-CU and the eNodeB-DU, at least two CU-DU interfaces are also arranged on the eNodeB-DU, and in order to manage the at least two CU-DU interfaces, an interface identification can be arranged on each CU-DU interface, and the interface identification is used for uniquely identifying the CU-DU interface and can be determined by negotiation of at least two operators. In the embodiment of the present disclosure, each CU-DU interface is configured with interface configuration information, which is configured independently by each operator, including service information, interface transmission information, and operator information. The service information may include a protocol version protocol of the CU network element. The interface transmission information may include an Internet Protocol (IP) address and port number between networks of the local eNodeB-DU, an IP address and port number of the opposite eNodeB-CU, and the like. The operator information is used to indicate the operator corresponding to each CU-DU interface, and may include PLMN information and the like. For the convenience of subsequent application, the eNodeB-DU also stores the interface configuration information of each CU-DU interface, and during specific storage, the interface identifier may be a key value, and the interface configuration information of each CU-DU interface may be a value for storage.

Considering that the data transmission capability of the eNodeB-DU is limited, in order to implement the sharing of the eNodeB-DU, a resource sharing policy needs to be configured on the eNodeB-DU, for example, a transmission traffic ratio may be set for different CU-DU interfaces, so as to control transmission traffic to different eNodeB-CUs; priorities can also be set for different CU-DU interfaces, so that traffic is transmitted in order of priority from high to low.

Under the CU-DU separation architecture, at least two operators in the existing network sharing system share the eNodeB-CU and the eNodeB-DU, and for specific functions, upgrading, part of wireless parameters and the like of software in the eNodeB-CU, the operators need to negotiate and determine, so that the autonomous control capability of the operators on a wireless network is not facilitated, and the safety of operation and maintenance data is also reduced.

In order to solve the problems in the prior art, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a network sharing system, which includes, referring to fig. 2: at least two eNodeB-CUs 201, one eNodeB-DU 202.

Each eNodeB-CU 201 belongs to different operators, at least two CU-DU interfaces are arranged on the eNodeB-DU 202, each CU-DU interface corresponds to one operator, and each eNodeB-CU 201 establishes network connection with the eNodeB-DU 202 through the CU-DU interface of the operator to which the eNodeB-CU 201 belongs.

In another embodiment of the present disclosure, the eNodeB-DUs have stored therein interface configuration information for each CU-DU interface, which is used for the CU-DU interface to establish a network connection with the eNodeB-CU of the same operator.

Referring to fig. 3, the system may further include: at least two operators'core networks 203, eachcore network 203 being connected to eNodeB-CUs belonging to the same operator via a network.

Thecore network 203 includes a Mobility Management Entity function (MME), a GateWay service (GW), and the like.

Referring to fig. 4, the system may further include: at least twoproprietary EMSs 204 and one sharedEMS 205.

The EMS is responsible for managing network elements (including eNodeB-CU and eNodeB-DU) in the network. In the embodiment of the present disclosure, eachproprietary EMS 204 belongs to different operators, and eachproprietary EMS 204 is connected to the eNodeB-CU 201 belonging to the same operator through the network, so as to manage the eNodeB-CU of the same operator. The sharedEMS 205 is shared by at least two operators, and the sharedEMS 205 and the eNodeB-DU 202 are connected through a network, thereby managing the eNodeB-DU shared by the at least two operators.

Referring to fig. 5, the system may further include: at least twoNMS 206.

The NMS is an integrated network management system, and can manage a plurality of networks including EMS. In the embodiment of the present disclosure, eachNMS 206 belongs to a different operator, and is connected to thededicated EMS 204 belonging to the same operator through a network, so that the dedicated EMS of the same operator can be managed. In addition, at least twoNMSs 206 are each connected to the sharedEMS 205 over a network, so that eNodeB-DUs are managed by the sharedEMS 205.

According to the system provided by the embodiment of the disclosure, each operator has an independent eNodeB-CU, can select the software version of the eNodeB-CU by self, can determine the functions supported by the eNodeB-CU by self, can update and manage the eNodeB-CU and determine part of wireless parameters of the eNodeB-CU without negotiating with other operators, improves the autonomous control capability and competitiveness of the operators to the network, and improves the safety of operation and maintenance data.

Based on any one of the network sharing systems shown in fig. 2 to 5, fig. 6 is an architecture diagram of the network sharing system, taking operator a and operator B as an example, the network sharing system includes: the network comprises a core network of operator A, a core network of operator B, eNodeB-CU of operator A (i.e., eNodeB-CU A in FIG. 6), eNodeB-CU of operator B (i.e., eNodeB-CU B in FIG. 6), eNodeB-CU shared by operator A and operator B, NMS of operator A (i.e., NMS A in FIG. 6), NMS of operator B (i.e., NMS B in FIG. 6), eNodeB-DU, EMS of operator A (i.e., EMS A in FIG. 6), EMS of operator B (i.e., EMS B in FIG. 6), EMS commonly managed by NMS of operator A and NMS of operator B, cell f1 of operator A, and cell f2 of operator B.

The core network of the operator A is connected with the eNodeB-CU of the operator A through a network, and the eNodeB-CU of the operator A is connected with the eNodeB-DU through a CU-DU interface corresponding to the operator A in the eNodeB-DU. In the frequency-sharing mode, each cell belongs to a specific operator. Based on the connection relationship, when any user equipment in f1 of operator a cell needs to acquire network service, the user equipment can acquire the required service by sending an access request to an eNodeB-DU and further sending the access request to an eNodeB-CU of operator a through an eNodeB-DU selection and CU-DU interface configured with operator a. In addition, the NMS of the operator A is connected with the EMS of the operator A through the network in operation and maintenance, and the EMS of the operator A is connected with the eNodeB-CU of the operator A through the network, so that the eNodeB-CU of the operator A is managed.

And the core network of the operator B is connected with the eNodeB-CU of the operator B through the network, and the eNodeB-CU of the operator B is connected with the eNodeB-DU through a CU-DU interface corresponding to the operator B in the eNodeB-DU. In the frequency-sharing mode, each cell belongs to a specific operator. Based on the connection relationship, when any user equipment in the cell f2 of the operator B needs to acquire network service, the user equipment can acquire the required service by sending an access request to the eNodeB-DU, and then sending the access request to the eNodeB-CU of the operator B through the eNodeB-DU selection and CU-DU interface configured with the operator B. In addition, the NMS of the operator B is connected with the EMS of the operator B through the network in operation and maintenance, and the EMS of the operator B is connected with the eNodeB-CU of the operator B through the network, so that the management of the eNodeB-CU of the operator B is realized.

Further, the eNodeB-DU shared by the operator a and the operator B is connected to the EMS shared by the operator a and the operator B, and the EMS shared by the operator a and the operator B is connected to the NMS of the operator a and the NMS of the operator B, so that the eNodeB-DU is managed together.

The embodiment of the disclosure provides an eNodeB-DU, wherein at least two CU-DU interfaces are arranged on the eNodeB-DU, each CU-DU interface corresponds to one operator, and the eNodeB-DU establishes network connection with eNodeB-CUs of different operators through each CU-DU interface.

In another embodiment of the present disclosure, the eNodeB-DUs have stored therein interface configuration information for each CU-DU interface, which is used for the CU-DU interface to establish a network connection with the eNodeB-CU of the same operator.

In another embodiment of the present disclosure, the eNodeB-DU is connected to a shared element management system EMS, which is responsible for managing the eNodeB-DU, through the network.

Referring to fig. 7, the present disclosure provides a network connection apparatus, where the network connection apparatus includes at least two eNodeB-CUs 701 and one eNodeB-DU702, where the eNodeB-DU702 is provided with at least two CU-DU interfaces, each CU-DU interface corresponds to one operator, and interface configuration information of each CU-DU interface is stored in the eNodeB-DU702, and the interface configuration information is used for establishing a network connection between the CU-DU interface and the eNodeB-CU701 of the same operator;

an eNodeB-DU702 for acquiring interface configuration information of any CU-DU interface, wherein the interface configuration information comprises address information and operator information of the eNodeB-CU matched with the CU-DU interface;

an eNodeB-DU702, further configured to send a connection request to the eNodeB-CU701 indicated by the address information, the connection request including operator information;

an eNodeB-CU701, configured to, when receiving the connection request, acquire operator information of an operator to which the eNodeB-CU belongs;

and the eNodeB-CU701 is also used for establishing network connection with the eNodeB-DU through a CU-DU interface when the operator information in the connection request is matched with the operator information of the affiliated operator.

In another embodiment of the present disclosure, the eNodeB-CU701 is further configured to send a connection setup success response to the eNodeB-DU 702.

In another embodiment of the present disclosure, the eNodeB-CU701 is further configured to send a connection establishment failure response to the eNodeB-DU702 when the operator information does not match the operator information of the operator to which the eNodeB-CU701 belongs.

Referring to fig. 8, an access apparatus of a user equipment is provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure, where the access apparatus of the user equipment includes at least two eNodeB-CUs 801 and one eNodeB-DU802, the eNodeB-DU802 is provided with at least two CU-DU interfaces, each CU-DU interface corresponds to one operator, and the eNodeB-DU stores therein interface configuration information of each CU-DU interface, where the interface configuration information is used for establishing a network connection between the CU-DU interface and the eNodeB-CU801 of the same operator;

eNodeB-DU802, further used for determining the cell which the user equipment requests to access when receiving the access request of the user equipment;

the eNodeB-DU802 is also used for determining the operator to which the cell belongs according to the cell;

the eNodeB-DU802 is also used for selecting a CU-DU interface corresponding to an operator to which the cell belongs;

and the eNodeB-DU802 is also used for sending the access request to the corresponding eNodeB-CU through the selected CU-DU interface, and the corresponding eNodeB-CU processes the access request.

In practical application, since the eNodeB-DU configures the operator to which each cell belongs, when a user wants to acquire a certain network service and sends an access request to the eNodeB-DU through user equipment, the eNodeB-DU can find the cell to which the user requests to access according to the spectrum resource used when the access request is sent, determine the operator to which the cell belongs, and send the access request to the eNodeB-CU of the operator by using the CU-DU interface corresponding to the operator, thereby providing the network service for the user.

Fig. 9 shows a schematic structural diagram of the network device 900 involved in the above embodiments, and the network device includes: astorage unit 901, aprocessing unit 902 and acommunication unit 903, thestorage unit 901 storing program codes and data of the network device 900. The network device 900 may be a network connection device or the like.

When the network device 900 is a network connection apparatus, the network device 900 can also implement the functions of the network connection apparatus shown in fig. 7. Theprocessing unit 902 is configured to control and manage an operation of the network connection apparatus, and for example, theprocessing unit 902 is configured to support the terminal to execute step 1101 and step 1103 in fig. 11. Thecommunication unit 903 is used to support communication between the network connection device and other network entities, for example, communication between the functional modules or network entities shown in fig. 11, so as to implement step 1102 in fig. 11.

When the network device 900 is an access apparatus of a user equipment, the network device 900 may also implement the function of the access apparatus of the user equipment shown in fig. 8, and theprocessing unit 902 is configured to control and manage the operation of the network connection apparatus, for example, theprocessing unit 902 is configured to support the terminal to execute step 1202, step 1203, and step 1204 in fig. 12. Thecommunication unit 903 is configured to support communication between the network connection apparatus and other network entities, for example, communication between the functional modules or network entities shown in fig. 12, so as to implement steps 1201 and 1205 in fig. 12.

TheProcessing Unit 902 may be a Processor or a controller, such as a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a general-purpose Processor, a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), an Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) or other Programmable logic device, a transistor logic device, a hardware component, or any combination thereof. Which may implement or perform the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with the disclosure. The processor may also be a combination of computing functions, e.g., comprising one or more microprocessors, DSPs, and microprocessors, among others. Thecommunication unit 903 may be a transceiver. Thestorage unit 901 may be a memory.

When theprocessing unit 902 is a processor, thecommunication unit 903 is a transceiver, and thestorage unit 901 is a memory, the network device according to the embodiment of the present disclosure may be the network device shown in fig. 10.

Referring to fig. 10, the network device includes:memory 1001,processor 1002,transceiver 1003, andbus 1004. Thetransceiver 1003, theprocessor 1002, and thememory 1001 are connected to each other through abus 1004; thebus 1004 may be a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus, an Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) bus, or the like. The bus may be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For ease of illustration, only one thick line is shown in FIG. 10, but this is not intended to represent only one bus or type of bus.

The embodiment of the present disclosure shows a network connection method, which is applied to a network connection device shown in fig. 7, and the method provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure includes:

1101. the eNodeB-DU acquires interface configuration information of any CU-DU interface.

In the embodiment of the disclosure, a plurality of CU-DU interfaces are disposed on an eNodeB-DU, each CU-DU interface is configured with interface configuration information, the configuration information is stored in a storage medium of the eNodeB-DU, and the interface configuration information includes service information, interface transmission information, operator information, and the like. The service information may include a protocol version protocol of the CU network element, and the like. The interface transmission information may include local address information (e.g., the IP address and port number of the local eNodeB-DU), address information of the eNodeB-CU to be connected (e.g., the IP address and port number of the eNodeB-CU), and the like. The operator information may include PLMN information and the like.

For any CU-DU interface, the eNodeB-DU can acquire interface configuration information matched with the CU-DU interface from a storage medium through an internal communication protocol.

1102. The eNodeB-DU sends a connection request to the eNodeB-CU indicated by the address information.

Based on the acquired interface configuration information, the eNodeB-DU acquires address information and operator information of an eNodeB-CU to be connected, and further sends a connection request to the eNodeB-CU indicated by the address information, wherein the connection request comprises the operator information and the like.

1103. When receiving the connection request, the eNodeB-CU acquires operator information of the affiliated operator.

In order to avoid that the eNodeB-CU establishes network connection with the eNodeB-DU through the CU-DU interfaces belonging to different operators, so that the users cannot be normally provided with services, when a connection request is received, the eNodeB-CU also acquires the operator information of the operator to which the eNodeB-CU belongs, and then performs connection verification according to the operator information in the connection request and the operator information of the operator to which the eNodeB-CU belongs.

1104. When the operator information matches the operator information of the operator to which the eNodeB-CU belongs, the eNodeB-CU establishes a network connection with the eNodeB-DU through the CU-DU interface.

The eNodeB-CU compares the operator information in the connection request with the operator information of an operator to which the eNodeB-CU belongs, if the operator information in the connection request is the same as the operator information of the operator to which the eNodeB-CU belongs, the eNodeB-CU can determine that the operator information in the connection request is matched with the operator information of the operator to which the eNodeB-CU belongs, and then establishes network connection with the eNodeB-DU through the CU-DU interface; if the operator information in the connection request and the operator information of the operator to which the eNodeB-CU belongs both indicate the same operator, the eNodeB-CU can determine that the operator information in the connection request matches the operator information of the operator to which the eNodeB-CU belongs, and then establish a network connection with the eNodeB-DU through the CU-DU interface.

In another embodiment of the present disclosure, after the eNodeB-CU establishes a network connection with the eNodeB-DU through the CU-DU interface, the eNodeB-CU sends a connection establishment success response to the eNodeB-DU to make the eNodeB-DU aware of the current connection request. The content of the connection establishment success response may be "eNodeB-CU has established a connection with eNodeB-DU", or the like.

In another embodiment of the present disclosure, when the operator information in the connection request does not match the operator information of the operator to which the eNodeB-CU belongs, the eNodeB-CU also sends a connection setup failure response to the eNodeB-DU. The content of the connection establishment failure response may be "unknown PLMN" or the like.

It should be noted that, for example, the eNodeB-DU establishes a connection with the eNodeB-CU of one operator through one CU-DU interface, a procedure of establishing a connection between the eNodeB-DU and eNodeB-CUs of other operators through other CU-DU interfaces is the same as the above procedure, and specifically refer to the above steps 1101 to 1104, which is not described herein again.

Based on the network connections established in the above steps 1101 to 1104, the method provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure further supports the access of the user equipment, and the specific access process may refer to steps 1201 to 1205 shown in fig. 12:

1201. the user equipment sends an access request to the eNodeB-DU.

When any User wants to acquire the network service, the User can send an access request to an eNodeB-DU through User Equipment (UE), and then access to a core network of an operator according to the access request to acquire the required network service. Wherein, the access request at least carries user identification and the like.

1202. When receiving an access request of the user equipment, the eNodeB-DU determines a cell which the user equipment requests to access.

In the embodiment of the present disclosure, an operator to which the eNodeB-DU belongs performs configuration, and after receiving an access request of a user equipment, the eNodeB-DU may determine a cell to which the user equipment requests to access according to a spectrum resource that transmits the access request.

1203. And the eNodeB-DU determines the operator of the cell according to the cell.

In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the eNodeB-DU stores the correspondence between each cell and the operator to which the cell belongs, and when the cell to which the user requests to access is determined, the eNodeB-DU may determine the operator to which the cell belongs. For example, referring to fig. 6, when it is determined that the cell to which the user requests to access is the cell f1, the eNodeB-DU can determine that the operator to which the cell f1 belongs is the operator a; when the cell requested to be accessed by the user is determined to be the cell f2, the eNodeB-DU can determine that the operator to which the cell f2 belongs is the operator B.

1204. And the eNodeB-DU selects a CU-DU interface corresponding to the operator to which the cell belongs.

When receiving an access request, the eNodeB-DU selects a CU-DU interface corresponding to an operator to which the cell belongs from a plurality of CU-DU interfaces of the home terminal, and further provides the required network service for the user based on the selected CU-DU interface.

1205. And the eNodeB-DU sends the access request to the corresponding eNodeB-CU through the selected CU-DU interface, and the corresponding eNodeB-CU processes the access request.

Based on the chosen CU-DU interface, the eNodeB-DU sends the user's access request to the eNodeB-CU of the same operator. And the eNodeB-CU sends the access request to the core network according to the connection established with the core network, and the core network provides the required network service for the user.

It should be noted that, although The present disclosure describes a fourth Generation Mobile communication technology (The 4th Generation Mobile communication, 4G) network System and an implementation procedure thereof, The present disclosure is also applicable to a fifth Generation Mobile communication technology (The 5th Generation Mobile communication, 5G) wireless network, a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), and a Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA).

According to the method provided by the embodiment of the disclosure, each operator has an independent eNodeB-CU, can select the software version of the eNodeB-CU by self, can determine the functions supported by the eNodeB-CU by self, can update and manage the eNodeB-CU and determine part of wireless parameters of the eNodeB-CU without negotiating with other operators, improves the autonomous control capability and competitiveness of the operators to the network, and improves the safety of operation and maintenance data.

It should be noted that: in the network sharing system, the network connection device, and the network element provided in the foregoing embodiments, when performing network connection, only the division of the functional modules is illustrated, and in practical applications, the function distribution may be completed by different functional modules according to needs, that is, the internal structure of the device is divided into different functional modules, so as to complete all or part of the functions described above. In addition, the network sharing system, the network connection device, the network element and the network connection method provided by the above embodiments belong to the same concept, and specific implementation processes thereof are detailed in the method embodiments and are not described herein again.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that all or part of the steps for implementing the above embodiments may be implemented by hardware, or may be implemented by a program instructing relevant hardware, where the program may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, and the above-mentioned storage medium may be a read-only memory, a magnetic disk or an optical disk, etc.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the preferred embodiments of the disclosure and is not to be taken in a limiting sense, as the invention extends within the spirit and scope of the appended claims,

any modifications, equivalents, improvements and the like are intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure.

Claims (11)

1. A network sharing system, characterized in that the network sharing system comprises: the system comprises at least two eNodeB-Central Units (CU) and an eNodeB-Distributed Unit (DU), wherein each eNodeB-CU is subordinate to different operators, at least two CU-DU interfaces are arranged on the eNodeB-DU, each CU-DU interface corresponds to one operator, each eNodeB-CU is in network connection with the eNodeB-DU through the CU-DU interface of the subordinate operator, interface configuration information of each CU-DU interface is stored in the eNodeB-DU, the interface configuration information is used for the CU-DU interface to be in network connection with the eNodeB-CU of the same operator, and the interface configuration information is independently configured by each operator;

the system further comprises: at least two exclusive EMS (element management systems) and a shared EMS, wherein each exclusive EMS belongs to different operators and is connected with eNodeB-CU (eNodeB-CU) belonging to the same operator through a network, the shared EMS is shared by at least two operators, and the shared EMS is connected with the eNodeB-DU through the network;

the system further comprises: at least two NMSs, each of which belongs to different operators and is connected with a dedicated EMS belonging to the same operator through a network, wherein the at least two NMSs are connected with the shared EMS through the network.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising: at least two operator's core networks, each connected to eNodeB-CUs belonging to the same operator through the network.

3. An eNodeB-Distributed Unit (DU) is characterized in that at least two CU-DU interfaces are arranged on the eNodeB-DU, each CU-DU interface corresponds to one operator, the eNodeB-DU establishes network connection with eNodeB-Central Unit (CU) of different operators through each CU-DU interface, interface configuration information of each CU-DU interface is stored in the eNodeB-DU, the interface configuration information is used for the CU-DU interfaces to establish network connection with eNodeB-CUs of the same operator, and the interface configuration information is independently configured by each operator;

the eNodeB-DU is connected with a shared network element management system EMS through a network, and the shared EMS is responsible for managing the eNodeB-DU and is shared by at least two operators;

each eNodeB-CU is connected with a special EMS (energy management system) belonging to the same operator through a network, and each special EMS is connected with a network management system NMS (network management system) belonging to the same operator through the network.

4. A network connection method applied to the network sharing system according to any one of claims 1 to 2, the method comprising:

the eNodeB-DU acquires interface configuration information of any CU-DU interface, wherein the interface configuration information comprises address information and operator information of the eNodeB-CU, which are matched with the CU-DU interface;

the eNodeB-DU transmits a connection request to an eNodeB-CU indicated by the address information, the connection request including the operator information;

when the eNodeB-CU receives the connection request, the eNodeB-CU acquires operator information of an affiliated operator;

and when the operator information is matched with the operator information of the operator to which the eNodeB-CU belongs, the eNodeB-CU establishes network connection with the eNodeB-DU through the CU-DU interface.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein after the eNodeB-CU establishes a network connection with the eNodeB-DU through the CU-DU interface, further comprising:

and the eNodeB-CU sends a connection establishment success response to the eNodeB-DU.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

and when the operator information does not match with the operator information of the operator to which the eNodeB-CU belongs, the eNodeB-CU sends a connection establishment failure response to the eNodeB-DU.

7. An access method of a user equipment, wherein the method is applied to the network sharing system of any one of claims 1 to 2, and the method comprises:

when an eNodeB-DU receives an access request of user equipment, the eNodeB-DU determines a cell which the user equipment requests to access;

the eNodeB-DU determines an operator to which the cell belongs according to the cell;

the eNodeB-DU selects a CU-DU interface corresponding to an operator to which the cell belongs;

and the eNodeB-DU sends the access request to the corresponding eNodeB-CU through the selected CU-DU interface, and the corresponding eNodeB-CU processes the access request.

8. A network connection device is characterized by comprising at least two eNodeB-Central Units (CUs) and an eNodeB-Distributed Unit (DU), wherein at least two CU-DU interfaces are arranged on the eNodeB-DU, each CU-DU interface corresponds to an operator, interface configuration information of each CU-DU interface is stored in the eNodeB-DU, the interface configuration information is used for establishing network connection between the CU-DU interfaces and eNodeB-CUs of the same operator, and the interface configuration information is independently configured by each operator;

the device further comprises: at least two exclusive EMS (element management systems) and a shared EMS, wherein each exclusive EMS belongs to different operators and is connected with eNodeB-CU (eNodeB-CU) belonging to the same operator through a network, the shared EMS is shared by at least two operators, and the shared EMS is connected with the eNodeB-DU through the network;

the device further comprises: at least two NMSs, each NMS belongs to different operators and is connected with an exclusive EMS belonging to the same operator through a network, and the at least two NMSs are connected with the shared EMS through the network;

the eNodeB-DU is used for acquiring interface configuration information of any CU-DU interface, and the interface configuration information comprises address information and operator information of the eNodeB-CU, which are matched with the CU-DU interface;

the eNodeB-DU is further used for sending a connection request to an eNodeB-CU indicated by the address information, wherein the connection request comprises the operator information;

the eNodeB-CU is used for acquiring the operator information of the affiliated operator when receiving the connection request;

the eNodeB-CU is further used for establishing network connection with the eNodeB-DU through the CU-DU interface when the operator information is matched with the operator information of the affiliated operator.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the eNodeB-CU is further configured to send a connection setup success response to the eNodeB-DU.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the eNodeB-CU is further configured to send a connection setup failure response to the eNodeB-DU when the operator information does not match operator information of the affiliated operator.

11. An access device of user equipment is characterized in that the access device of the user equipment comprises at least two eNodeB-Central Units (CUs) and an eNodeB-Distributed Unit (DU), wherein at least two CU-DU interfaces are arranged on the eNodeB-DU, each CU-DU interface corresponds to an operator, interface configuration information of each CU-DU interface is stored in the eNodeB-DU, the interface configuration information is used for establishing network connection between the CU-DU interfaces and eNodeB-CUs of the same operator, and the interface configuration information is independently configured by each operator;

the device further comprises: at least two exclusive EMS (element management systems) and a shared EMS, wherein each exclusive EMS belongs to different operators and is connected with eNodeB-CU (eNodeB-CU) belonging to the same operator through a network, the shared EMS is shared by at least two operators, and the shared EMS is connected with the eNodeB-DU through the network;

the device further comprises: at least two NMSs, each NMS belongs to different operators and is connected with an exclusive EMS belonging to the same operator through a network, and the at least two NMSs are connected with the shared EMS through the network;

the eNodeB-DU is also used for determining a cell which is requested to be accessed by the user equipment when receiving an access request of the user equipment;

the eNodeB-DU is also used for determining an operator to which the cell belongs according to the cell;

the eNodeB-DU is also used for determining an operator to which the cell belongs according to the cell;

the eNodeB-DU is also used for selecting a CU-DU interface corresponding to an operator to which the cell belongs;

and the eNodeB-DU is also used for sending the access request to the corresponding eNodeB-CU through the selected CU-DU interface, and the corresponding eNodeB-CU processes the access request.

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