It should be noted that, in an embodiment of the present invention, the preset rule (or the determining, by the user equipment, a data transmission characteristic of the cell in the first subframe based on a preset condition) may further include: If the first subframe is a first subframe (a subframe 0) or a sixth subframe (a subframe 5) in a radio frame, the downlink data transmission length of the first subframe is not limited. The downlink data transmission length of the first subframe may include: one or more of three OFDM symbols, six OFDM symbols, 12 OFDM symbols, 14 OFDM symbols, 13 OFDM symbols, nine OFDM symbols, 10 OFDM symbols, or 11 OFDM symbols if the downlink data transmission configuration is a normal cyclic prefix; or one or more of three OFDM symbols, five OFDM symbols, 10 OFDM symbols, 12 OFDM symbols, eight OFDM symbols, or nine OFDM symbols if the downlink data transmission configuration is an extended cyclic prefix. In this case, when the downlink data transmission configuration is a normal cyclic prefix, when the downlink data transmission length of the first subframe is nine or 10 or 11 OFDM symbols, the first subframe does not include a PSS and/or an SSS, and if there is a PSS, the PSS is carried in the seventh OFDM symbol in the first subframe; or when the downlink data transmission configuration is an extended cyclic prefix, when the downlink data transmission length of the first subframe is eight or nine OFDM symbols, the first subframe does not include a PSS and/or an SSS, and if there is a PSS, the PSS is carried in the sixth OFDM symbol in the first subframe.