But really, what on earth is “non-standalone” 5G? How is it different from 5G? Is this something like 4G on steroids? More important, how does this detour affect all the market’s stampede toward 5G?
As Qualcomm’s CTO Matt Grob explained in a one-on-one interview with us, “non-standalone 5G” is about a 4G-based “set-up” mode for 5G.
By introducing the concept of an “intermediate” step, operators will be able to use the existing LTE radio and evolve packet core network under a configuration called “non-standalone 5G NR.” This would allow the carriers to begin trials and deployments of 5G NR in 2019, rather than 2020. Meanwhile, they can add a new 5G radio access carrier to support 5G use cases from 2019 onwards.