While 4G still stands as a reliable, mobile method of getting connected to the internet, the 3GPP RAN plenary meeting recently hit a milestone towards getting to 5G.
Held at Lisbon, Portugal, all companies involved in creating mobile standards finalized the 5G New Radio (NR) Standard. Additionally, Qualcomm led this group, delineating what companies will deem Non-Standalonev (NSA) 5G NR. More importantly, Non-Standalone will rely on existing LTE core networks to function. Also, the meeting approved the specs needed for NSA 5G NR.
NSA 5G will act as the wireless standard’s initial form when it launches in 2019. It will leverage mature LTE networks for much of the backbone. Because the initial focus involves facilitating enormous amounts of data backhaul, it will omit calling and other aspects of 3G and 4G LTE. The exciting part here involves the promise of even faster speeds, between 1Gbps and 5Gbps. Basically, this will make modern functions like video services, cheaper and more convenient.
