A method of provisioning an eUICC of a mobile communication device. The method comprises sending a GSMA confirm order request from an eUICC provisioning application executing on a computer system to a SM-DP+ server, wherein the confirm order comprises an ICCID and a FQDN of a discovery server; in response to receiving a GSMA confirm order response indicating a failure of the discovery server, determining by the eUICC provisioning application that a mobile communication device associated with the ICCID is configured with an LPA application that is able to complete an alternative eSIM profile provisioning process using a scanning device to capture an activation code; generating an activation code by the eUICC provisioning application that encodes an address of the SM-DP+ server and the ICCID; and sending the activation code by the eUICC provisioning application to an email account associated with a user of the mobile communication device.

A mechanism is provided to monitor and control the number of terminals (100) or number of PDU sessions for a network slice, or both. A new network function called the Network Slice Control Function (NSCF) (85) is defined that interacts with an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) (40) and/or Session Management Function (SMF) (45) to monitor and control a number of users for a network slice, a number of PDU sessions for a network slice, or both. The NSCF (85) determines per slice quotas for the number of users and/or number of session for network slices and interacts with the AMF (40) and/or SMF (45) to enforce the quotas.

A network repository function (NRF) receives, from an access and mobility management function (AMF), a discovery request for an address of a session management function (SMF), the discovery request comprising network slice isolation information for at least one network slice. The NRF sends, to the AMF and based on the discovery request, a discovery response comprising the address of the SMF.

A method of updating a PDU session and a network-side device are provided. The method includes: after a User Equipment UE moves across PLMNs or across systems, determining that the UE has a first PDU session of which an anchor SMF is not in a current PLMN; determining a Session Management Function V-SMF in a Visited Public Land Mobile Network VPLMN for the first PDU session, and updating the first PDN session by using the V-SMF.

A method for distributing connections to mobility management node instances includes publishing IP addresses for receiving connection requests and ingress messages from RAN nodes. The method further includes maintaining connection loading measurements of the mobility management node instances, receiving a connection request message generated by a RAN node for initiating a connection with one of the mobility management node instances, applying a connection distribution algorithm to select a mobility management node instance to handle the connection request message, and creating an association between an IP address of the selected mobility management node instance and an IP address and port of the RAN node extracted from a source IP address and source port field of the connection request. The method further includes forwarding the connection request message to the selected mobility management node instance.

A method for configuring a user device to which a plurality of identifiers, each uniquely identifying the user in at least one communications network, is allocated. The method includes, for at least one application: obtaining at least one rule associating, with at least one flow of the application, at least one slice of the at least one communications network for routing data relating to the at least one flow and an item of information connecting the slice to an identifier from among the plurality of identifiers of the user; and configuring the user device with the at least one rule such that it executes the at least one rule when accessing the application.

A method, apparatus and communication system for registering address information of a network anchor point to a network server, the method including receiving, by a packet data network gateway, a request message from a mobility management entity, determining, by the packet data network gateway in response to the request message, to register identity information of the packet data network gateway to a home subscriber server, and registering, to the home subscriber server, by the packet data network gateway in response to the determining to register the identity information, the identity information of the packet data network gateway and an access point name corresponding to the packet data network gateway.

A disclosure of the present specification provides a screen display method by a user equipment (UE). The method may comprise the steps of displaying, on a screen, information indicating that a protocol data unit (PDU) session is scheduled to be re-established, on the basis of a deactivation procedure or a release procedure of the PDU session having been performed; and when the PDU session is established, displaying, on the screen, information indicating the existence of the PDU session.

A session management method, device, and system, such that a terminal can access a local data network using a local user plane function (UPF) network element even when the terminal is out of a management area of a remote anchor session management function (SMF) network element. The method includes: receiving, by an intermediate session management network element, one or more local data network access identifiers (DNAIs); and determining, by the intermediate session management network element, a target DNAI based on current location information of a terminal and the one or more local DNAIs, where the target DNAI is used to select a local session management network element for the terminal.

A method to reduce signaling interaction in an access process of a terminal includes: receiving, by a convergent network device, an access request message from a first access device on a first network, where the access request message carries a first globally unique temporary identity (GUTI) of a terminal, which is an old GUTI on the first network or a GUTI on the first network and obtained by mapping a second GUTI on a second network; determining, by the convergent network device, a first target context of the terminal on the first network based on the first GUTI and a device identifier corresponding to the convergent network device when serving as a mobility management device; and sending, by the convergent network device, an access response message to the first access device to indicate that the terminal has successfully accessed the first network.