Two years ago, the Mobile World Congress (MWC) was all about the promises of what 5G networks would bring. Vendors then talked about how 5G would be nothing like 4G — opening up a door of new possibilities for users. Today, T-Mobile's CTO, Neville Ray, bragged on Twitter that the company has achieved the first simultaneous, non-standalone 5G NR and 4G LTE connection.
But really, what on earth is “non-standalone” 5G?
According to industry developers and experts, a Non-Standalone 5G network is supported by 4G infrastructure wherein, 5G-enabled smartphones would have the ability to connect to 5G frequencies for data-throughput, but will still use 4G for non-data uses such as talking to the cell towers and servers.
A huge preparation is being done by T-Mobile for its upcoming 5G release. They already announced a $3.5 billion deal with Nokia for the 5G equipment, at this very moment, T-Mobile and Nokia's deal is set to be the biggest arrangement that ever happened around the next generation of wireless equipment. Nokia's hardware is being designed to build out the 5G network that has 600 MHz and 28 GHz millimeter wave spectrum, which includes both broad abilities, as well as spectrum required for impenetrable urban areas, said T-Mobile in a recent press release.
For many years, the competition has been fierce between Nokia, Huawei, and Ericsson in regards to the networking space. Thus far, Nokia has really set itself apart, in comparison to its competitors because of the significant deal they landed with T-Mobile, who is in a race themselves with other carriers that want to have the 5G available over the next few years. However, the “un-carrier” is making leaps and bounds to prove to everyone that they are ready to - not just talk about it, but to bring in to market first.
By now everyone has already heard that 5G networks are predicted to be much faster than existing 4G LTE, by offering lower latency. Which makes it more useful for games and applications that demand speedier response times. In the future, it is expected that every gadget that we can think of creating or use today, will be connected to 5G. From home appliances to industrial automation equipment, cars, laptops, and even televisions are expected to connect via 5G, at least in theory.
