Embodiments of the present invention disclose a communication method and a communications apparatus. In the communication method, a network-side device determines a resource configuration policy. The network-side device determines an operation mode of a terminal based on the resource configuration policy; broadcasts information about a plurality of configured resource pools and the operation mode, so that the terminal performs sending based on the configured one or more resource pools; and determines, based on the operation mode, that the terminal sends information on one or more resource units of the plurality of resource pools. According to the communication method and the communications apparatus provided in the specific embodiments of the present invention, the one or more resource pools are configured for a plurality of carriers for inter-terminal communication, so that the terminal can send a message on the one or more resource pools of the plurality of carriers.