A method for creating a virtual base station, comprising: receiving (301, 604), by a radio network controller, a virtual base station creation request sent by a third-party server, wherein the virtual base station creation request comprises first parameter information and a base station mode of the virtual base station, and the first parameter information is information required for creating a virtual machine; sending (302, 605), by the radio network controller, a virtual machine creation request to a radio access network, RAN, wherein the virtual machine creation request comprises the first parameter information; receiving (303, 607), by the radio network controller, a virtual machine creation complete response sent by the RAN, wherein the virtual machine creation complete response comprises a virtual machine identification, ID, and the virtual machine ID is generated by the RAN according to the first parameter information; sending (304, 608), by the radio network controller, a base station image load request to the RAN, wherein the base station image load request comprises the base station mode and the virtual machine ID; receiving (305, 610), by the radio network controller, a base station image load complete response sent by the RAN, wherein the base station image load complete response comprises a virtual base station ID, the virtual base station ID having been generated by the RAN after a virtual machine corresponding to the virtual machine ID has loaded a base station image of the base station mode successfully; and sending (306, 619), by the radio network controller, a virtual base station creation complete response to the third-party server, wherein the virtual base station creation complete response comprises the virtual base station ID. receiving (301, 604), by a radio network controller, a virtual base station creation request sent by a third-party server, wherein the virtual base station creation request comprises first parameter information and a base station mode of the virtual base station, and the first parameter information is information required for creating a virtual machine; sending (302, 605), by the radio network controller, a virtual machine creation request to a radio access network, RAN, wherein the virtual machine creation request comprises the first parameter information; receiving (303, 607), by the radio network controller, a virtual machine creation complete response sent by the RAN, wherein the virtual machine creation complete response comprises a virtual machine identification, ID, and the virtual machine ID is generated by the RAN according to the first parameter information; sending (304, 608), by the radio network controller, a base station image load request to the RAN, wherein the base station image load request comprises the base station mode and the virtual machine ID; receiving (305, 610), by the radio network controller, a base station image load complete response sent by the RAN, wherein the base station image load complete response comprises a virtual base station ID, the virtual base station ID having been generated by the RAN after a virtual machine corresponding to the virtual machine ID has loaded a base station image of the base station mode successfully; and sending (306, 619), by the radio network controller, a virtual base station creation complete response to the third-party server, wherein the virtual base station creation complete response comprises the virtual base station ID.