S401. A terminal sends a random access request to a distributed unit.
S402. The distributed unit allocates a first terminal identifier for the terminal.
The first terminal identifier is allocated by a base station system, and is used to identify the terminal on an air interface between the access network device and the terminal. The first terminal identifier may be specifically a C-RNTI.
Optionally, the first terminal identifier may be a unique identifier of a wireless network in a cell, or may be a unique identifier of a wireless network in the distributed unit, or may be a unique identifier of a wireless network in a centralized unit connected to the distributed unit.
In the base station system in this application, there may be a plurality of cells in each distributed unit. If the first terminal identifier is the unique identifier of the wireless network in the cell, it indicates that the first terminal identifier is unique in a range of one of the plurality of cells in the distributed unit, and first terminal identifiers in a plurality of cells in one distributed unit may be the same. If the first terminal identifier is the unique identifier of the wireless network in the distributed unit, it indicates that the first terminal identifier is unique in a range of the distributed unit, and first terminal identifiers in different cells are different. If the first terminal identifier is the unique identifier of the wireless network in the centralized unit connected to the distributed unit, it indicates that the first terminal identifier is unique in a range of the centralized unit, and first terminal identifiers in different distributed units or different cells may be different.