The mobile industry announced today that the 3GPP has approved the 5G standalone specifications, which will pave the way towards the development of 5G networks that don’t rely on existing 4G networks (5G development has thus far had to leverage existing 4G technology as opposed to being a truly new and independent technology). The “Release 15” 5G standard, which took 34 months collaboration from countless industry contributors, sets forth the standards that will serve as the baseline of 5G development and deployment around the world.
Balázs Bertényi, Chairman of 3GPP TSG RAN, said: “The freeze of Standalone 5G NR radio specifications represents a major milestone in the quest of the wireless industry towards realizing the holistic 5G vision. 5G NR Standalone systems not only dramatically increase the mobile broadband speeds and capacity, but also open the door for new industries beyond telecommunications that are looking to revolutionize their ecosystem through 5G.”