Patent ID: 8908563

Claim:
A method for providing Packet Data Network (PDN) address capability information to a user equipment (UE), comprising: receiving, by a network equipment in a network, a first request for acquiring an Internet Protocol (IP) address in a PDN connection for the UE, wherein the first request comprises information of IP address version(s) supported by the UE; determining, by the network equipment, PDN address capability according to the information of IP address version(s) supported by the UE, wherein the PDN address capability comprises IP address version(s) available to the UE and allowed by the network in the PDN connection; and sending, by the network equipment, the PDN address capability to the UE to enable the UE to determine, according to the PDN address capability, whether to initiate a second request for acquiring an IP address in the PDN connection, wherein the UE does not initiate the second request if there is no remaining IP address version(s) available to the UE and allowed by the network in the PDN connection; wherein the IP address version(s) available to the UE and allowed by the network in the PDN connection comprises: all IP address version(s) available to the UE and allowed by the network in the PDN connection; or remaining IP address version(s) available to the UE and allowed by the network in the PDN connection.