With the release of 5G, new terms and buzzwords have entered our lexicon. Recently, we wrote a detailed explainer on what are mmWave and sub-6GHz 5G bands to make the concept easy to understand for the general populous. Apart from that, we compiled a list of 5G bands supported in India and how to check 5G bands on your phone for your reference. And in this article, we bring you an easy explainer on SA and NSA deployment modes in 5G. We also compare 5G SA vs NSA to find the differences between these two architectures. On that note, let’s not waste time and dive right in.

In this article, we compare SA and NSA 5G deployment modes and what both terms mean for end users. You can also find the differences between SA and NSA 5G architecture. Expand the table below and move to your desired section.

What is SA 5G Architecture?

If you are wondering what SA means in 5G, you have come to the right place. By its very definition, SA 5G stands for Standalone 5G, which means it’s an end-to-end 5G network. To understand how SA offers a complete 5G network, first, you need to know the intermediaries in a network. In a mobile network, there is a base station (also called core), radio antennas, and an end device (smartphone, tablets, etc.).

In an SA 5G network, the base station, aka core, is entirely built on the 5G specification, which is devised by the 3GPP (organization that develops standards for mobile telecommunication). The radio antennas are also based on 5G specifications, and lastly, the end devices must also support the 5G NR bands.

When we hear about ultra-low latency and unparalleled speeds that run into 10 to 20 gigabits per second (Gbps), the companies are actually talking about an SA 5G network. This kind of pure, unfettered 5G network is incredibly rare around the world, and only a handful of telecom companies have deployed this infrastructure, as it’s prohibitively expensive to deploy. We have discussed this topic in greater detail below, but before that, let’s find out what is NSA architecture in 5G.

Now that you understand a Standalone 5G network, let’s learn about NSA in 5G. NSA 5G means a Non-standalone 5G network, where the core (base station) is based on 4G/ LTE infrastructure but uses radio antennas that are based on 5G. And of course, as you might be able to guess, smartphones must have support for 5G to use this type of 5G network. Here, except for the 4G LTE core (also known as EPC or Evolved Packet Core), everything is based on 5G specifications.

In an NSA 5G radio access network (RAN), you won’t get the much-touted 5G capabilities such as near-zero latency and unparalleled speed, but it’s a cost-effective way to deploy a 5G network across the globe. Telecom operators don’t need to overhaul their base stations and can quickly enable 5G network services using the 4G EPC. In fact, most telecom companies are using NSA to offer 5G services to the masses in the beginning. Even Jio 5G and Airtel 5G deployments, which are likely to start by August end, will be based on 5G NSA infrastructure.

At the heart of the SA vs NSA comparison is the 5G core that the Standalone 5G network uses. However, telecom vendors such as Ericsson, Nokia, Samsung, etc. are offering a new way through software to upgrade the 4G EPC core to the 5G core without replacing the equipment, converting an NSA 5G network to SA 5G at a fraction of the cost. It’s called EPC Virtualization or vEPC for short.

If we talk about SA 5G deployment in India, Airtel CEO Gopal Vittal recently said the company can easily move to 5G SA from 5G NSA with a software upgrade, most likely referring to 4G EPC virtualization. However, the company will stick to NSA 5G initially. Reliance Jio, on the other hand, has been working on EPC virtualization for a few years now. It acquired Radisys, a US-based company back in 2018, that has expertise in vEPC. The indigenous 5G solution that Jio keeps on talking about is actually vEPC in action. The company will most likely use its 700MHz airwave to offer SA 5G services.

As we learned above, the primary difference between SA and NSA 5G networks is that all components in an SA 5G infrastructure are purely based on 5G specifications. Whereas, in an NSA 5G architecture, the core is based on 4G/ LTE equipment (upgraded to 5G using EPC) and radio cells and end devices are developed on the 5G standard.

As telecom operators still use their existing legacy base stations to cut costs, you don’t get ultra-low latency and higher gigabit speeds in an NSA 5G network. Apart from that, the SA 5G network consumes less energy and offers telcos more capacity in comparison to NSA 5G network. To give you an exact number, the SA 5G network can handle massive communication and can connect more than 1 million devices at a time, which is mind-boggling.

Benefits of SA 5G Over NSA 5G

For end users, there are broadly five benefits while using 5G on an SA infrastructure over NSA:

Benefits of NSA 5G Over SA 5G

If we talk about NSA 5G benefits over SA 5G, there are chiefly four points that you should keep in mind. They are as under:

SA vs NSA 5G: Which is Better?

Finally, coming to the question – which one is better: SA or NSA 5G? Well, as we went through the explainer, it’s clear that SA 5G is the true 5G network, where all the components are based on the global 5G specifications. However, like all technologies, the transition to a new standard takes time, so NSA 5G is filling the gap meanwhile to bring 5G services, albeit with slower speeds, to the masses.

What is NSA mode in 5G?

NSA mode in 5G means a network infrastructure where the base station is based on a 4G core, but the radio antennas and smartphones are built on 5G specifications.

Is Verizon 5G SA or NSA?