THE ABC’s OF

5G New Radio Standards

Introduction
A Primer on 5G Standards and Conformance
5G NR is very different from the previous generations of wireless standards.
It introduces a new end-to-end network architecture that promises high data
throughput and ultra-reliable low latency connections that open the door to
new business models.

The 5G NR Release-15 standard was approved in June 2018, and it lays

the foundation for a flexible, unified air interface that can support the many
different use cases and services expected in 5G.

While Release-15 is nearly complete, many study and work items remain in
development, and some aspects of the standard have yet to be specified,
including how new devices and base stations will be approved. These areas
have traditionally been addressed by conformance tests and by on-network
validation tests.

This ebook outlines the 5G vision, the steps

completed to date, and the next steps
needed to fully realize the vision of 5G.
Contents
The ABCs of 5G
New Radio Standards

A New Era of Wireless Communications

The Basics of 5G NR Standards

Conformance and Acceptance Tests

A New Era of Wireless Communications

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A New Era of Wireless
Communication
The 5G vision defines an advanced mobile broadband communication system that
can support an ultra-connected society. “ Two years ago, 5G was seen as a vision or even just a hype - with
the closing of Rel-15 3GPP has made 5G a reality within a very short
The ITU worked with operators, network equipment manufacturers, and standards
organizations to define the IMT-2020 vision to deliver these three usage scenarios:
time. The outcome is an amazing set of standards that will not only
provide higher data rates and bandwidth to end customers but which is
• Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB)
open and flexible enough to satisfy the communication needs of different
• Ultra-Reliable and Low Latency Communications (URLLC)
industries - 5G will be the integration platform
• Massive Machine-Type Communications (mMTC)
for heterogeneous businesses.”
5G NR Release-15, approved in June 2018, marks the start of a new era that will
bring disruptive change across the industry. New applications and new business Georg Mayer, Chairman of 3GPP TSG CT
models will generate new revenue streams as market leaders move quickly to
introduce new 5G products and services. Enhanced Mobile Broadband

ITU: International Telecommunications Union

IMT: International Mobile Telecommunications Gigabytes In a Second

3D Video, UHD Screens

Smart Home Building Work and Play in the Cloud

Augmented Reality
Voice
Industry Automation
Smart City Mission Critical Applications
Self Driving Cars
Massive Machine Type Ultra-Reliable and Low Latency
Communications Communications

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5G New Features and Technologies
Enable New Use Cases
Vastly different performance requirements are needed to enable the different use
cases and realize the vision of 5G.

New features and technologies will be key to 5G implementation: Enhanced Mobile Ultra-Reliable and Low Massive Machine-Type
Broadband (eMBB) Latency (URLLC) Communication (mMTC)
• Millimeter-wave (mmWave) operating bands up to 52.6 GHz with wider
channel bandwidths up to 400 MHz enable higher data throughput for
streaming of UHD videos and movies.
• Scalable numerology enables support for a variety of use cases where data
rates could range from kilobits/sec (kbps) for IoT devices to gigabits/sec
(Gbps) for enhanced mobile broadband.
All data, all the time 30 billion “things”
• Mini-slots enable low latency response time for applications like autonomous Ultra-high reliability
2 billion people connected
driving and factory automation. Ultra-responsive
on social media Low cost, low energy
• Flexible assignment of resources through dynamic TDD (time division duplex),
and bandwidth parts offer better use of spectrum to support the many
different use cases.

<1 ms air interface

105 to 106 devices per
500 km/h mobility latency
km2
10-20 Gbps peak 5 ms end-to-end latency
1-100 kbps per device
data rates 99.9999% reliable
10-year battery life
50 kbps – 10 Mbps

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5G NR to Coexist with 4G Networks
For mobility, devices must maintain connection as they travel through the network.
The expectation is that 5G NR is a totally new air interface that can operate
alongside 4G LTE. The 5G Radio Access Network (RAN) will operate with both 5G
NR (gNB) and LTE (eNB) base stations. The new RAN are interconnected through
the Xn interfaces, and connected to the 5G core through the NG interfaces. 5G
NR can operate in non-standalone mode (NSA), where the UE requires a legacy
eNB with connection to the Evolved Packet Core (EPC) for control plane to support
5G NR communication. In standalone mode (SA), the 5G network can operate
independently of the 4G core network. There are seven different connectivity
options defined in the 5G NR specification, allowing network equipment
manufacturers to plan upgrade paths to the next-generation core network.

5G -CORE Next Gen Next Gen

Core Core

NG NG

NG NG

NG -RAN
NG NG

gNB Xn gNB

Xn Xn

Xn
gNB: Next Generation Node B eNB eNB
eNB: Evolved Node B

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5G Timeline is Aggressive
Study items are followed by work items, followed by release of a specification. ITU
and 3GPP use a phased approach to enable widespread commercialization by
2020. Field trials are already occurring in select cities around the world. The first
commercial networks are expected to roll out in late 2018. Fixed wireless access in
mmWave frequencies is one of the first use cases addressed by 5G.

Phase 1: Focuses on 4G LTE, 5G NR Release-15, and the next generation system

architecture. NR Release-15 lays the foundation for eMBB and URLLC use cases.

Phase 2: Continues with 5G NR optimization and introduces new use cases with
5G NR Release-16 planned for the end of 2019. It is expected that NR Release-15
will be forward compatible with NR Release-16.

3GPP also continues to define enhancements to LTE-Advanced Pro (initially

specified in Release-13 and Release-14) in Release-15 and Release-16.

2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021

3GPP 3GPP 3GPP 3GPP Release-17

Release-14 Release-15 Release-16 & Beyond

Early drop NR spec

Study Item: Channel Model
(acceleration plan)
Study Item: Scenarios and Requirements Wide-spread
commercialization
Study Item: 5G new RAT of Release-15

Work item: 5G new RAT (Phase 1)

Work item: 5G new RAT (Phase 2)

PHASE 1 PHASE 2

First 3GPP NR Spec Jun 2018

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Considerations
With the introduction of 5G New Radio standards, networks will need to support a
diversity of 5G devices with many different usage scenarios. LEARN MORE ABOUT 5G NR CHALLENGES
5G NR Release-15 key features include: The 5G NR specifications lay the foundation for the flexible structure,
but with the additional flexibility comes more complexity.
• Operating bands extended into mmWave frequencies, up to 52.6 GHz initially
and even higher frequencies in future releases Your 5G NR designs will need to operate in new spectrum,with wider
• Wider channel bandwidths up to 400 MHz in mmWave (i.e., frequency range bandwidths, in standalone and non-standalone mode, and support
2), which can be further enhanced via channel aggregation new technologies including scalable numerology, flexible TDD, and
• Scalable numerology with flexible allocation of resources to support many bandwidth parts.
different use cases and services (e.g., subcarrier spacing that scales, enabling
variable slot duration for low-latency, time-sensitive applications)
• Dynamic time division duplex (TDD) and bandwidth parts, which deliver DOWNLOAD WHITE PAPER:
flexibility in resource assignments, and better spectrum utilization
First Steps in 5G: Overcoming New Radio Device
Challenges Series

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The Basics of 5G NR Standards

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The Basics of the Specifications
5G NR Release-15 is a major milestone, enabling 5G radio access technology
that is flexible enough to support sub-6 GHz and mmWave frequencies up to
52.6 GHz as well as new use cases and applications. Equally important, 5G
system architecture must evolve to keep pace with the radio access changes.

3GPP is defining a new system architecture to support 5G requirements. The

network needs to support the variety of 5G services, many different types of
devices, and varied traffic loads. The 5G core network must be flexible and
efficient. Many operators are moving to software-defined networking (SDN) and
network function virtualization (NFV). Distributed cloud, network slicing, and self-
optimizing networks (SON) are key enabling technologies. These technologies
help virtualize the network architecture and management plane to create
enhanced communication capabilities.

“ When we set out on this journey…there were really two things

that drove 3GPP activities in this schedule, one was to make sure
that we catered for those operators that want to deploy 5G early. The
second is to make sure – content wise – that we are making the right
set of features to serve as the first stepping stone towards the holistic
5G vision. With the content that was frozen in Release 15, last week, we
achieved both of those goals.”
Balazs Bertenyi, Chairman of 3GPP RAN

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IMT-2020 Key Performance Indicators
3GPP specifications are split into multiple studies and work items:

• The RAN TR 38.912 study item covers new radio deployment scenarios,
physical layer, layer 2, architecture for next generation RAN, radio
transmission/reception, higher layers, network procedures, and more
• RAN TR 38.913 sets target Key Performance Indicator (KPI) requirements for
the different deployment scenarios (i.e., eMBB, URLLC, and mMTC) as well as
vehicle-to-everything (V2X) requirements

To meet the vision set forth by IMT-2020, the following 5G KPIs have been specified:

20 Gbps in downlink
PEAK DATA RATE
10 Gbps in uplink

PEAK SPECTRAL EFFICIENCY 30 bps/Hz for downlink and 15 bps/Hz for uplink

LATENCY 0.5 ms UL/DL (URLLC), 4 ms UL/DL (eMBB), 10 ms control plane

MOBILITY INTERRUPTION TIME 0 ms

URLLC 1-10-5 for 32 bytes with a user plane latency of 1ms.

RELIABILITY
V2X 1-10-5, and user plane latency = 3-10 ms

CONNECTION DENSITY 1,000,000 device/km2 in urban environments

UE BATTERY LIFE mMTC should be beyond 10 years, 15 years is desirable

COVERAGE 164 dB

MOBILITY (UE SPEED) 500 km/h

NETWORK ENERGY EFFICIENCY 100x better than IMT-Advanced

Based on 3GPP TR 38.913 KPIs

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The Layers of the Communications Stack
The radio interface between the UE and the network is described in Layers 1, 2
and 3 of the communications stack. These are commonly known as the physical
layer, the data link layer, and the network layer. The physical layer represents the
interface to the real world and includes the hardware and software to control this
linkage. It provides a transport channel and specifies how information is transferred
over the radio interface.

• The physical layer is covered in TS 38.200 series.

• Layers 2 and 3 are described in the 38.300 series. The data link layer
enables data transfer between the different networks. Known as medium
access control (MAC), it provides different logical channels to the radio link
control (RLC) in the network layer.
• Layer 3 connects with the nodes in the network so that the UE can travel
through the network.TR represents a technical report, or study, and TS
represents a technical specification.

LOGIC CHANNELS

TRANSPORT CHANNELS

Radio interface protocol architecture around the physical layer (38.201)

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3GPP RAN Study Items and Specifications
5G NR specifications are covered by the RAN working groups. The output
of the workgroup is public; all documents, meeting reports, and published
specifications are available on the 3GPP Website.  Study Items Specifications

5G NR documents are represented in the 38.xxx series. Technical reports begin

with TR and specifications begin with with TS. For 5G NR, RAN study items and TR 38.802
specifications define functions, requirements, and interfaces to the networks. RAN1 Study on New Radio
TS 38.201 - 38.215
Shown here are 5G RAN 1-5. Radio Layer 1 Access Technology:
Physical Layer Aspects

TR 38.804
RAN2
Study on New Radio
Radio Layer 2 and Radio TS 38.300 -TS 38.331
Access Technology: Radio
Layer 3
Interface Protocol Aspects

TR 38.801
Study on New Radio
RAN3
Access Technology: Radio TS 38.401 - 38.474
Radio Network
Access Architecture and
Interface
The 3GPP system architecture (SA) parallel
work identifies the features and functionality RAN4
TR 38.803
New Radio Access
Radio Performance and TS 38.101 - 38.307
needed to deploy a services-based Protocol
Technology: RF and co-
existence aspects
operational network for 5G system.
These specifications are represented RAN5
in 3GPP TS 23.xxx documents. Mobile Terminal No study item TS 38.508 – 38.533
Conformance Tests

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What’s Next?
1. Stabilization of 5G NR Release-15 with cleanup of known issues
through bug fixes or change requests. A late drop of Release-15
is planned for the end of 2018, and NR architecture options not
FOR MANY EQUIPMENT DEVELOPERS,
completed will be addressed in an ASN drop in March 2019.
THE REAL WORK STARTS NOW.
Designing new technologies that meet the new standards is important
2. 5G NR non-standalone mode for fixed wireless access initial
to deliver increased performance and dual connectivity with 4G,
deployments expected near the end of 2018 and into 2019.
and to support new use cases will require a whole new level of test.
3. Release-16 work begins and includes identifying new types of services, With standards still evolving, you will need a test solution that can
devices, deployment models and spectrum bands with an emphasis on scale to cover sub-6 GHz FR1 frequencies and higher FR2 mmWave
URLLC enhancements for industrial IoT, utilization of unlicensed bands, frequencies, wider bandwidths, denser waveforms, and a growing
V2X, and UE positioning and power efficiency. number of test cases.

LEARN MORE ABOUT 5G NR STANDARDS:

Webinar: Understanding 5G NR Physical Layer

Webinar: Completing Rel-15 of 5G NR Physical Layer

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Conformance and Acceptance Tests

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Conformance
and Acceptance Tests
“
Conformance tests ensure a minimum level of performance in UEs and base
As we begin to transition to a new generation of wireless
stations. UE requirements are very extensive to ensure RF transmission and
reception, radio access, signaling and demodulation. Base station tests are
technologies, it’s growing more important that we establish industry
structured around RF parameters.   alignment. With 5G, this is more important than ever, as we’re tapping
into an area of the radio spectrum that has been a big unknown for the
Conformance tests only provide pass/fail results, offering no indication of how
the device will perform when integrated into a wireless communications system.
mobile industry. Being able to work closely with Keysight and leveraging
Vendors will test a wider set of parameters early using verification and regression their expertise with network simulation, RF and millimeter wave
testing to ensure quality and sufficient margins. technologies is an advantage for our product validation efforts.”
Pre-conformance testing is often done to ensure a “Pass” before spending time Woojune Kim, vice president of Next-Generation Strategy, Samsung Electronics.
and expense on official conformance tests.

Device acceptance tests are commonly used to ensure a device meets the
additional requirements specified by the operators.

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Conformance Tests
3GPP conformance tests define measurement definitions and procedures
necessary to achieve compliance against the core specifications. UE conformance WHAT
Performance Check confidence Schedule time for More expansive Customers form
tests involve connecting a device to a wireless test system and performing the verification & of “pass” before independent (3rd testings of UEs for opinion, share
regression test of spending time party) testing of interoperability experience,
required 3GPP tests.
components and and expense on UE to defined test and performance provide feedback
of integrated conformance cases against expected
The 3GPP conformance specifications are divided into four main areas: devices use models

• RF transmission and reception performance – minimum level of signal quality

• Demodulation – data throughput performance
• RRM (radio resource management) – initial access, handover, and mobility PRE
DEVELOPMENT CONFORMANCE OPERATOR DEPLOYMENT
CONFORMANCE
• Signaling – upper layer signaling procedures

The 5G RF transmission and reception performance test methods are the most
mature, while test methods for device demodulation and RMM will require more WHERE
complex testing solutions. Development Dedicated lab at Authorized test Operator’s test Out in the real
engineers bench developer site laboratory laboratory world

• UEs require radio transmission and reception, electromagnetic compatibility

emissions (EMC), interworking operation with other radios, performance A typical flow from development to deployment
testing, protocol signaling tests, and RMM. The RF conformance tests focus
mainly on RF transmitter characteristics, RF receiver characteristics, and RF
performance characteristics.
• Base stations require radio transmission and reception and EMC emissions
and immunity testing. The base station RF conformance tests focus on
RF transmitter characteristics, RF receiver characteristics and RF radiated
performance characteristics. Radiated OTA transmitter characteristics are
required for specific base station classes, and specifically base stations
operating in FR2.

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Over-the-Air Tests
With devices and base stations operating in two frequency ranges (frequency
range 1 (FR1) 450 MHz to 6 GHz and frequency range 2 (FR2) 24.25 to 52.6 GHz),
many of the low frequency tests will be similar to 4G LTE tests. Base stations
operating in FR2 will require radiated tests using over-the air (OTA) test methods.
OTA test methods will also be used to validate device and base station beam
steering functionality in multi-element antenna arrays that are integrated into RFICs
at FR1 and FR2.

Specific measurements and methodologies for measuring mmWave devices

over-the-air are still being developed in RAN5 with a target completion date of
May 2019.

To date, 3GPP has approved three RF performance OTA test methods for UE devices:

NEAR-FIELD TO FAR-FIELD TRANSFORMATION

DIRECT FAR-FIELD (DFF) IN-DIRECT FAR-FIELD (IFF)
(NFTF)

Provides a near-field to far-field conversion

A simple, comprehensive approach A compact approach that can be lower cost
enabling in a compact antenna test range (CATR)

Can be very large with greater path for Suitable for testing mmWave devices but not well Limited application for transceiver only, no receiver
mmWave devices suited for spatial RRM or RF parametric tests yet

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Keysight OTA Solutions
Keysight’s over-the-air test solutions include chambers, probing, and the test
equipment used to address a wide range of RF, demodulation, and functional
performance tests requirements from RF to mmWave.

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Certification
Conformance tests are conducted by 3rd parties. The test systems used to
perform conformance tests must be validated and calibrated to ensure that the
conformance test is performed with known uncertainties and under controlled
conditions.

The following certification bodies oversee conformance tests:

Standards body: Certification body:
• Global Certification Forum (GCF), under the umbrella of the GSM Association
3GPP RAN5 GCF/PTCRB
(GSMA), represents GSM and UMTS operators worldwide; it requires that the Test spec
device be drive-tested. Conformance test spec 5G NR work from
38.521-1/3 RF/RRM descriptors
• Personal communications system (PCS) is a variation of GSM for the 1900 MHz 38.523-1/3 PROTOCOL
band. It is known as the PCS Type Certification Review Board (PTCRB). The
PTCRB provides UE certification services for North American operators.

WID

Validation
Test system

report
vendors
5G test platforms
with test cases
Validation request
Validation test
laboratory
Perform test case
Reference UE validation

5G NR UE
manufacturers

Standards bodies, certification bodies, test equipment vendors, and 5G NR device makers
together ensure conformance to 5G specifications.

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Device Acceptance Testing
Once the UE passes conformance tests and meets specifications, the next step
is to validate the device on a specific network. Device acceptance testing is used
to evaluate whether the device has adequate performance and helps identify and
resolve issues before a device is allowed on the network in the hands of consumers.
For example, some networks are marketed with attributes such as the fastest
network, or most reliable network. In these cases, operator acceptance tests include
performance and functional tests to ensure the device will deliver as promised.

The acceptance tests are owned by, and specific to, the network operators.
Operators will stress the UE and the network, testing many different use case
scenarios. One common test is battery performance under different usage
scenarios of data consumption, talk time, or with use of location-based
services. Evaluating real-world battery performance with many different
permutations and combinations of activities requires many tests. Another
common test is performance and user experience on a network. With the use
of multiple different radio access technologies (RATs) in 5G, it is especially
important to evaluate real-world handovers between radio networks.

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Implications for Developers

IMPLICATION CONSIDER

To date, conformance standards are less than half complete and will be Consider an end-to-end test solution that can create the appropriate test conditions,
phased in over time. Bringing devices to market without thoroughly testing RF and measure conformance to the appropriate test parameters, incorporating fading
performance, demodulation, RRM and protocol signaling can result in a non- and interference. Hardware and software should be refreshed to keep up with
compliant product. evolving standards that include higher frequencies, wider bandwidths, and denser
modulation, to ensure devices are evaluated at their true limits.

Device acceptance tests are expected in 2019. Waiting to find issues during Consider using proven network emulation tools that can test KPIs in your
acceptance test could mean major rework late in development, resulting in development cycle to help identify potential issues early and reduce risk.
higher costs and delayed time-to-market.

OTA tests are required for 5G. Direct far-field, indirect far-field, and near- Consider an OTA test partner who has experience implementing the different
field to far-field transformation test methods are approved by 3GPP, but test methods.
procedures and techniques are still being refined. It can take a significant
amount of time and rework to investigate and implement an OTA test solution.

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Are You Ready
for the 5G NR Standard?
5G NR introduces a new end-to-end network architecture that promises everything
will be connected, all the time. With 5G NR Release-15 approved, developers
can begin working on 5G devices and base stations. 5G NR introduced new
technologies, increased performance requirements, established the need for dual
connectivity with 4G, and defined many new test cases. 5G conformance requires
a whole new level of test.

With standards still evolving through Release-16 and beyond, you will need
test solutions that can scale to cover sub-6 GHz and mmWave frequencies,
wider bandwidths, denser waveforms, and a growing number of test cases.
Conformance and operator acceptance tests are still under development, meaning
you will need a solution that is flexible and upgradable as test requirements evolve.
Keysight’s portfolio of 5G NR solutions address these challenges with tools to
emulate, measure, and validate 5G RF and protocol signals from development
through conformance and into acceptance tests, so you can develop more
efficiently and accelerate your 5G NR designs.

LEARN MORE ABOUT 5G NR SOLUTIONS:

5G Chipset and Devices Solutions Brochure

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Information is subject to change without notice. | 5992-3406EN © Keysight Technologies, 2018 | Published in USA, November 8, 2018 | keysight.com