Hello dears,
What is the best option to deploy 5G: NSA or SA?
2 Likes
If your core is ready for SA then better to go for it rather than NSA. Currently only NSA is available. Core the important for deploying 5G
3 Likes
Hi, Carlos. It depends on several aspects mainly focused on the operator`s strategy.
NSA was seen as an easy upgrade from LTE towards 5G (as mentioned, no 5G Core is required), which will already leverage the 5G Air Interface capabilities, while 5G is fully deployed. By deployed, it means, Core, all the 3GPP specs were finished, and other technical upgrades, specifically related to transport to provide URLLC are done.
Hope it helps!
2 Likes
Depends on what you want.
If you want 5G coverage at limited places only then we can use SA or if you want to have wider 5g availability you can use NSA and utilize your existing 4G network too.
Plus with NSA you can use split bearer and hence inc throughput.
Currently in US ATT is deploying NSA.
For SA you will have to setup 5G core and in NSA you can use your LTE core too!
2 Likes
Hi Marcengo;
Opions 4 &7 are NSA and they used Core 5G.
2 Likes
Agreed! Options 4 and 7 are seen, in my opinion, just as βmigration pathβ from NSA Option 3 to SA Option 2.
All initial deployments were made on Option 3, none on Options 4 and 7. Even the vendors didnβt support 4&7 initially, and sometimes, even SA came before 4 and/or 7 on the roadmaps.
2 Likes
Hi,
For NSA, we have different varieties such as option 3 with its variants (most famous one is option 3x which is deployed at many MNOs around the world).Also there is option 4 and option 7 with their variants. Here main difference between NSA options are They have different core, so option 3 is connected to the 4G core (EPC) while both option 4 and option 7 are connected to the 5G core (5GC). But take care that for option 7, the master node (MN) is the eNB and the secondary node (SN) is gNB while for option 4, MN is the gNB and SN is the eNB.
2 Likes
In the first phase of 5G deployment, I think no of 5G sites is much lower than current 4G sites, 5G sites are almost deployed in hot-spot area. If 5G SA, coverage is not wide, service is easy to drop and user demand for high-speed to not big, 4G service is still enough. So I think NSA is easier to deploy, which can keep UE always connected to network.
Moreover, terminal development path is from NSA to SA, some UE currently just support NSA only, no SA. Such as Qualcomm X50 support NSA, later X55 support NSA+SA.
1 Like
Guys,
I am intrigued by the original question which does not presume a given strategy.
Say, I am an MNO without prior RAT and am deploying a 5G network from scratch with 700MHz & 3500MHz bands. What would the best option be for me - SA or NSA to start with?
And, yes there are other MNOs with 2/3/4G RATs and they do/will not rollout 5G.
1 Like
I came across a really nice analogy in Linkedin:
Stand Alone (SA) Vs non Standalone (NSA) 5G
Simple/crude example how the two are different.
Suppose you are living in a 2 bedroom house and now want to live in a 3 bedroom house.
You are evaluating two options to do that:
-
To construct additional room in your backyard adjoining current house
- It will be cheaper, faster but will only be an improvement on your existing house design and house condition with no/limited impact on age of the house.
-
To construct a 3 bedroom house on a new plot from scratch.
- It will be costly, slower but will give you a brand new house and set you free from limitation of the old house.
Option 1 is Non Stand alone 5G where one is upgrading your existing telecom infra to 5G.
Option 2 is Stand Alone 5G where one is getting totally new 5G compliant telecom infra.
In Indiam Airtel is mostly going for NSA 5G and Jio is going for SA 5G.
Jio was using Samsung for 4G and Nokia and Ericsson for 5G so can only use limited of its current infra.
This is the source: Srijan Bhatnagar on LinkedIn: #5g #telecom #jio #airtel #nsa5g #sa5g | 10 comments
1 Like
NSA and SA refer to different deployment options in the context of 5G (fifth-generation) wireless technology.
π΅πΊπ¨ (π΅ππ-πΊππππ πππππ): In Non-Standalone mode, 5G networks are deployed on top of existing 4G LTE infrastructure. The control plane remains on the LTE network, while the user plane uses both LTE and 5G. This means that 5G relies on the existing 4G core network for certain functions.
πΊπ¨ (πΊππππ πππππ): In Standalone mode, 5G operates independently without relying on any existing 4G infrastructure. Both the control plane and user plane functions are implemented in the 5G core network. SA is considered the ultimate form of 5G deployment, offering the full benefits and capabilities of the new technology.
In summary, NSA leverages existing 4G infrastructure, while SA is a completely independent 5G deployment.
The choice between NSA and SA depends on various factors, including the existing network infrastructure, deployment strategy, and the desired level of 5G functionality.
LinkedIn: 
2 Likes