US Patent 11246033 Authentication method, and related device and system

Example authentication methods and apparatus are described. One example method is applied to an identity management entity, and the identity management entity is deployed in a core network control plane of a Long-Term Evolution (LTE) network. The method includes receiving a certificate request message from terminal equipment and generating a digital certificate for the terminal equipment. An identity request message carrying the digital certificate is sent to an identity proxy entity, where the identity proxy entity is deployed in a blockchain network, and the identity request message is used to obtain a blockchain identity for the terminal equipment.