5G has long been touted as a major upgrade to cellular network technology even before its release. 5G is no longer in its infancy, and US mobile phone network operators have begun distributing his 5G across the United States.
MNOs have two main options to choose from when it comes to 5G deployment: non-standalone (NSA) and standalone (SA).
NSA has dominated as the top choice among MNOs for initial 5G deployments thanks to its existing cellular infrastructure. However, as SA 5G rolls out, it’s important to understand the differences between the two. Both approaches are valid ways to build his 5G network, but the deployment mode he chooses will determine how efficiently his 5G network will operate.
Both NSA and SA use the 5G New Radio (5G NR) interface, which allows them to provide functionality based on standards defined by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). 5G NR offers a myriad of use cases, but one of its most important features is providing a path from 4G LTE to 5G.
Non-standalone 5G
When it comes to NSA 5G, the clue is in the name. From an infrastructure perspective, 5G cannot stand on its own. NSA is a 5G radio access network (RAN) that runs on a legacy 4G LTE core known as Evolved Packet Core (EPC) and manages control plane functions. NSA includes both 4G and 5G base stations, but 4G base stations are given priority. The NR control plane is fixed at the EPC, so the radio frequency signals are forwarded to the primary 4G base station.
NSA 5G is also known as Release 15 by 3GPP and is considered the first stage of 5G. His early 5G deployments used NSA because the MNO could use the current infrastructure to build his 5G network. A carrier with a 4G LTE network can implement his 5G RAN on top of its existing architecture. NSA 5G will serve as a stepping stone for carriers who are not ready to make large investments when migrating from traditional 4G LTE networks to 5G networks.
However, the drawback of NSA 5G is that it cannot provide certain features that a pure, unconstrained SA 5G network can provide. For example, NSA doesn’t deliver on one of 5G’s biggest appeals: low latency. Another drawback of NSA is that using 4G infrastructure to power 5G networks requires higher levels of energy. According to the IEEE report, 5G NR is more energy efficient than LTE, but using two different forms of cellular technology significantly increases network power consumption.
NSA 5G should also not be confused with Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS), which is another way to deploy 5G using 4G technology. NSA will use dual connectivity to build his 5G network with 4G infrastructure, while DSS will allow 4G LTE and 5G NR to coexist on the same frequency band. 5G networks have different spectrum bands, and DSS distributes the spectrum between the bands based on user demand.
Advantages of NSA 5G
- Reduce costs. Instead of investing in expensive new 5G cores, MNOs can build 5G networks on top of their existing 4G infrastructure.
- Easy to install. The NSA network uses the 4G infrastructure that MNOs are already familiar with, simplifying both configuration and update processes.
- Rapid deployment. By using their current 4G infrastructure, MNOs can use NSA to release operational 5G networks faster.
- The road to SA 5G. The MNO built on the NSA 5G network while the SA network was developed. With the rollout of the SA network, carriers can manage their existing 5G networks by replacing outdated 4G network elements with their 5G infrastructure.
Standalone 5G
The SA 5G network includes both 5G RAN and a cloud-native 5G core. This is missing from the NSA network and will be replaced by the 4G core. Because the SA network has a 5G core, it can perform critical 5G functions, with benefits such as lower latency, improved network performance, and the ability to control network management functions with a central controller.
SA requires MNOs to configure and learn how to manage a completely new architecture. As carriers waited for SA technology to mature, most carriers opted to simply reconfigure their 4G networks to support 5G, which was cheaper and more convenient. .
However, new providers without established 4G core networks could not follow that strategy. Since we can’t rely on a 4G core, we had to build our 5G infrastructure from scratch. SA may soon usurp his throne among MNOs as carriers have started implementing SA to take advantage of the improvements it offers over NSA.
The biggest drawback of SA is that it is costly to implement and takes time for network experts to learn the new 5G core infrastructure. In any case, MNOs are likely to eventually migrate to SA. NSA could serve as a step toward 5G networking, but it is not being considered. truth 5G Because it relies on 4G LTE.
Benefits of SA 5G
- Reduced power consumption. Because SA does not need to operate on 4G LTE, it uses only one method of cellular connectivity and uses less power to support the network.
- Added support for 5G use cases. Unlike NSA, SA can provide critical 5G services such as improved latency and increased bandwidth limits to power ultra-fast and scalable networks.
NSA vs. SA: 5G NR specifications
At the end of the day, the biggest difference between NSA and SA is how each mode delivers 5G. NSA uses 5G RAN and 4G LTE core, while SA is his end-to-end 5G network with both 5G RAN and NR core. The deployment method determines how each mode supports the NR specifications defined by 3GPP.
5G NR specifications include:
- Strengthening mobile broadband. It acts as an extension of 4G to increase data rates and increase network speed.
- Large scale machine type communication. Connect up to 1 million devices and facilitate fast, seamless communication between them.
- Extremely reliable and low-latency communication. Ensure network reliability by reducing latency to less than 5ms.
All three capabilities support a range of industries and services, including emerging areas such as IoT and satellite communications. However, SA 5G is the only deployment mode that supports all three specifications. NSA 5G has a 4G core that can be expanded to support specifications, allowing only enhanced mobile broadband to be enabled. SA has a stronger and more flexible 5G core, so it can enable all three features.
SA 5G is an improvement over NSA 5G, but few carriers have implemented the latest technology. In September 2023, Counterpoint Research reported that only 47 MNOs worldwide have released commercial SA 5G deployments.
Many MNOs have previously said they are keen to develop SA 5G, but installments have been delayed. The global economy is in a downturn, making it difficult for MNOs to earn their ROI with 5G. Currently, NSA reigns supreme as carriers have not yet found many lucrative or killer applications to justify their move to SA 5G.
However, research shows that the advanced features SA 5G offers, such as enhanced mobile broadband, fixed wireless access, and network slicing, have revenue potential. SA 5G itself could be a killer use case that increases the ROI of 5G and provides a reason to support the transition to SA 5G. Despite the simplicity and low cost of NSA deployment, carriers should migrate to SA 5G to enjoy the technology’s most beneficial and anticipated features.
