What Is Standalone 5G?

What is Standalone 5G? While non-standalone 5G shares existing core network infrastructure with 4G, the standalone version uses a new, cloud-native approach to the network core. Standalone 5G is designed to boost 5G performance in two important ways. First, it will provide lower latency in comparison with the non-standalone approach, which should enable it to support real-time and near-real-time applications such as autonomous vehicles and augmented and virtual reality. Second, standalone 5G is required to support network slicing. Dish, which will be a new entrant in the mobile market, has been touting its plans to use a standalone approach in the 5G network it plans to build. But apparently three of the major US carriers – AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon — also plan to deploy standalone 5G, and all three have indicated deployment plans for this year or next.