The present disclosure relates to a communication method and system for converging a 5th-Generation (5G) communication system for supporting higher data rates beyond a 4th-Generation (4G) system with a technology for Internet of Things (IoT). The present disclosure may be applied to intelligent services based on the 5G communication technology and the IoT-related technology, such as smart home, smart building, smart city, smart car, connected car, health care, digital education, smart retail, security and safety services. A method of a terminal includes receiving packet duplication data radio bearer (DRB) configuration information from a base station, receiving a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) including information indicating whether packet duplication has been activated from the base station, and determining whether to activate a packet duplication bearer based on the packet duplication DRB configuration information and the MAC CE.