1      Introduction

1.1      What is 5G

5G has changed the internet connectivity paradigm virtually connecting everything and everyone including machines, devices and humans. 5G is expected to be 10 times faster than 4G. 5G has potential to support large number of devices per square KM as it uses the spectrum much more efficiently which means that battery life of the devices is much longer. Battery life is powerful for IoT applications as well as end-user handsets. IOT devices bring it’s own security risk which is not the part of current blog.

NSA leverages the existing LTE radio access and core network (EPC) to anchor 5G NR using the Dual Connectivity feature. This solution provides a seamless option to deploy 5G services with very less disruption in the network.

 

1.2      Facts of NSA and SA

 

NSA	SA
Be first to launch 5G and gain technology and market leadership	Target 5G architecture option
Maximizes the use of the installed LTE base	Simplified RAN and device architecture
5G Evolved Packet Core	New cloud-native 5G Core
Provides early adopter with 5G-enabled devices	Brings ultra-low latency
Opens up opportunities for new use cases such as Critical IoT	Facilitates a wider range of use cases for new devices

 

Note: Standalone 5G NR is a key enabler for service providers to develop their offering.

 

1.3      5G deployment Options

There are 3 basis deployments of 5G network using both NSA and SA techniques.

 

• Option-3 — Traffic is split between 4G and 5G at eNodeB.
• Option-3a — Traffic is split between 4G and 5G at EPC (S-GW).
• Option-3x — Traffic is split between 4G and 5G at 5G cell.

 

Since most operators are eager to deploy 5G as soon as possible, most of the current deployments are using 5Ge which isn’t 5G NR but uses the current LTE spectrum to offer 5G services over existing bands, most commonly at 2.5 GHz. For 5Ge operators need spectrum licensing from the governments.

1.3.1     Network Slicing

Network slicing is the separation of multiple virtual network functions over the same physical infrastructure for different applications or services. Since there is a huge variety of applications with different network requirements, a network slice can be tailored to fulfil such requirements end-to-end. A network slice would work like a high-occupancy lane (HOV) where certain privileged traffic can flow, often, much faster than the rest of the highway.

 

Critical traffic can be identified and will be granted a high-performance slice with high bandwidth, low latency, and maximum reliability. This provides a mechanism to guarantee critical network traffic irrespective of the traffic load on the network. This is achieved by Software Defined Networks (SDN) and Network Function Virtualization (NFVi).

 

1.3.2     Edge Compute MEC

Bringing the computing power closer to the edge of the network. 5G technology and its edge compute will solve such latency issues and accelerate the adoption of mixed reality.