This application provides a communication method, and a communications apparatus. The communication method includes: An access network device sends a deactivation indication or an activation indication to a terminal. The deactivation indication is used to indicate that a primary secondary cell in a secondary cell group is in a deactivated state, and the activation indication is used to indicate that the primary secondary cell is in an activated state. The access network device is a master node or a secondary node of the terminal. In receiving the deactivation indication or the activation indication, the terminal performs a deactivation operation on the secondary cell group according to the deactivation indication, or activates the secondary cell group according to the activation indication.