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3.1 Standalone (SA) and Non-Standalone (NSA)

There are two deployment options for 5G networks defined by 3GPP - standalone (SA) and non-standalone (NSA). SA uses only the new 5G NR radio access technology and 5GC core network, while NSA combines the new 5G NR with existing LTE networks and either the EPC or 5GC core. NSA allows operators to leverage current LTE infrastructure and provides tighter integration between LTE and 5G networks. The 5GC core network introduces new capabilities compared to the existing EPC like network slicing and improved QoS features.

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62 views

3.1 Standalone (SA) and Non-Standalone (NSA)

There are two deployment options for 5G networks defined by 3GPP - standalone (SA) and non-standalone (NSA). SA uses only the new 5G NR radio access technology and 5GC core network, while NSA combines the new 5G NR with existing LTE networks and either the EPC or 5GC core. NSA allows operators to leverage current LTE infrastructure and provides tighter integration between LTE and 5G networks. The 5GC core network introduces new capabilities compared to the existing EPC like network slicing and improved QoS features.

Uploaded by

Mahesh R
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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3.

1 Standalone (SA) and Non-standalone (NSA)


As with the previous generations, 3GPP is defining
both a new 5G core network, referred to as 5GC,
as well as a new radio access technology called
5G “New Radio” (NR). Unlike previous generations
that required that both access and core network
of the same generation to be deployed (e.g.
Evolved Packet Core (EPC) and LTE together
formed a 4G system), with 5G it is possible to
integrate elements of different generations in
different configurations, namely:
• Standalone using only one radio access
technology and
• Non-Standalone combining multiple radio
access technologies.
In a standalone scenario, the 5G NR or the
evolved LTE radio cells and the core network are
operated alone. This means that the NR or
evolved LTE radio cells are used for both control
plane and user plane. The standalone option is a
simple solution for operators to manage and may
be deployed as an independent network using
normal inter-generation handover between 4G
and 5G for service continuity.
Three variations of SA are being defined in 3GPP:
• Option 1 using EPC and LTE eNB access
(i.e. as per current 4G LTE networks);
• Option 2 using 5GC and NR gNB access;
and
• Option 5 using 5GC and LTE ng-eNB access
In non-standalone (NSA) scenario, the NR radio
cells are combined with LTE radio cells using
dualconnectivity
to provide radio access and the core
network may be either EPC or 5GC depending on
the choice of operator. This scenario may be
chosen by operators that wish to leverage existing
4G deployments, combining LTE and NR radio
resources with existing EPC and/or that wish new
5GC to deliver 5G mobile services. This solution
will require tight interworking with the LTE RAN.
The end user experience will be dependent on the
radio access technology(ies) used.
Dual Connectivity: Operation where a given
UE consumes radio resources provided by at
least two different network points (e.g. NR
access from gNB and LTE access from eNB).
Three variations of NSA are defined in 3GPP:
• Option 3 using EPC and an LTE eNB acting
as master and NR en-gNB acting as
secondary;
• Option 4 using 5GC and an NR gNB acting
as master and LTE ng-eNB acting as
secondary; and
• Option 7 using 5GC and an LTE ng-eNB
acting as master and an NR gNB acting as
secondary.
3.2 Evolved Packet Core (EPC) and 5G Core
Network (5GC)
5G deployment options are being defined in 3GPP
using either the existing EPC (Evolved Packet
Core, specified in 3GPP TS 23.401 [10]) or the
5GC (5G Core network, specified in 3GPP TS
23.501 [11]).
The two architectures follow a very different set
of design principles and the main differences are
discussed more in detail in section 7.2.
While EPC could be considered an evolution of
previous generation packet core networks, the
5GC has been designed from its inception to be
“cloud native”, that is inheriting many of the
technology solutions used in cloud computing and
with virtualisation at its core. 5GC also offers
superior network slicing and QoS features.
Another important characteristic is the separation
of the control plane and user plane that besides
adding flexibility in connecting the users also
allows an easier way to support a multitude of
access technologies, better support for network
slicing and edge computing.
NOTE: from 3GPP Release 14 onwards, the
separation of control plane and user plane is also
an available option in 4G.

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