5G Standalone Deployments Are on the Rise [Mobile Radio]

One of the key decisions facing mobile operators worldwide is whether to launch 5G services in nonstandalone or standalone (SA) mode. The key difference is that the former relies upon existing 4G LTE network assets, such as an LTE evolved packet core, while the latter requires the deployment of a 5G core. Besides enabling new features, such as network slicing, 5G SA provides the full range of 5G capabilities in both public and private network deployment. This choice is not simply a matter of the availability of technology but also of spectrum, and we focus on the latter in the first reports of this "Mobile Radio " column.