Latin America. On December 21, the 3GPP announced the approval of the first specifications for the NSA 5G NR (New Non-Autonomous 5G Radio) standard. This novelty represents a historical fact for telecommunications, and the entry, finally, to the full era of 5G.
The strange thing is that, despite the fact that everything related to 5G has been arousing a lot of interest both inside and outside the industry for several years, this significant fact did not have an impact according to its importance, at least in our region.
Here are some aspects that account for the importance of the NSA 5G NR specifications for telecommunications in Latin America and the world.
What is it
The New Non-Autonomous 5G Radio specification set encompasses what is generally referred to as the "air interface" of mobile telecommunications networks. That is, the part that allows mobile devices, such as cell phones, tablets and other devices, to communicate essentially with the antennas of the base stations of mobile networks.
Accelerates the arrival of 5G
Thanks to the announcement of 3GPP, the availability of the standard for the 5G air interface allows hardware, chipset and device manufacturers to begin the development of 5G equipment.
Beyond the fact that other specifications and standards for other parts of the network that are sure to introduce significant improvements have yet to be defined, the availability of NSA 5G NR allows us to start working with a firm and industry-agreed roadmap on the next mobile generation.
Standardization
The existence of standards in the telecommunications industry is what allows its technologies to be developed on a massive scale internationally. This makes it possible to offer the lowest possible prices both for operators who must deploy a network, and for users who will later acquire a cell phone, tablets or other device. In other words, if there were more than one 5G standard, the market would split and lead to higher prices.
Interoperability with 4G
In the case of New Non-Autonomous 5G Radio, one advantage that is presented is that the specifications approved by the 3GPP will be able to rely on existing LTE networks, which will facilitate the transition.
Latin America and the Caribbean
Traditionally, telecommunications operators in our region have taken some time longer than their peers in other regions of the world, such as Europe, Asia or the United States, to implement the new technologies that emerge. However, this time gap has been narrowing with each new generation of technology. The interoperability of NSA 5G NR with 4G is excellent news for Latin America and the Caribbean, because this could facilitate the arrival in less time of this technological progress.
Conclusion
The technologies behind telecommunications networks are constantly evolving, with improvements of greater or lesser caliber. When there is such an important progress that entails a "leap" is that we move to what is called a new technological generation, which in turn will continue to experience improvements until the next great leap. With the definition of NSA 5G NR, there is already agreement so that the first 5G equipment and devices can be manufactured and then deployed by operators to reach people.
Text written by José Otero, Director of 5G Americas for Latin America and the Caribbean.
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