A network control method relates to the communications field, includes receiving, by a controller, a packet forwarded by a forwarder, detecting, by the controller, a status of a virtual currency identifier of the packet, querying, by the controller according to a user identifier in the packet, whether the user has permission to improve service quality when the status of the virtual currency identifier of the packet indicates that a user is willing to pay virtual currency to raise a network priority, and raising, by the controller, the network priority of the user, starting charging, and sending a network priority of the user to the forwarder when the user has the permission to improve the service quality such that the forwarder forwards a packet of the user according to the network priority of the user.