5G (NR)
Cellular Generations · 8 specs
Direct Answer
5G New Radio (5G NR) is the global 3GPP standard (Releases 15–18) for fifth-generation cellular communications. Operating across Sub-6 GHz (FR1) and Millimeter Wave (FR2: 24–71 GHz) frequency bands, it introduces flexible numerology, Massive MIMO beamforming, and network slicing to deliver enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communication (URLLC), and massive IoT (mMTC).
Source: 3GPP Release 15–18 / ITU-R IMT-2020 · Last reviewed Aug 28, 2026
Specs
| Standardization Framework | 3GPP Rel-15 (2018), Rel-16 (2020), Rel-17 (2022), Rel-18 5G-Advanced |
| Frequency Range 1 (FR1 Sub-6) | 410 MHz to 7.125 GHz (Channels up to 100 MHz) |
| Frequency Range 2 (FR2 mmWave) | 24.25 GHz to 71.0 GHz (Channels up to 400 MHz) |
| Peak Theoretical Speeds | Up to 20 Gbps Downlink / 10 Gbps Uplink |
| Radio Access Latency (URLLC) | < 1 ms (over the air) |
| Deployment Modes | Non-Standalone (NSA–with 4G LTE anchor) and Standalone (SA–pure 5G Core) |
| Antenna Technology | Massive MIMO (32T32R, 64T64R) with 3D Digital Beamforming |
| Core Architecture | 5G Core (5GC) Service-Based Architecture (SBA) with Network Slicing |
The Three 5G Use Case Pillars
5G was architected by the ITU (IMT-2020) around three distinct application pillars:
- eMBB (Enhanced Mobile Broadband): Multi-gigabit data streams for mobile video, AR/VR, and Fixed Wireless Access (FWA).
- URLLC (Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communication): Sub-millisecond latency and 99.999% reliability for autonomous vehicles, remote robotic surgery, and factory automation.
- mMTC (Massive Machine-Type Communication): Supporting up to 1 million connected IoT sensors per square kilometer.
FR1 (Sub-6) vs FR2 (mmWave) and NSA vs SA
- FR1 (C-Band / 3.5 GHz): The global backbone of 5G, balancing multi-hundred Mbps throughput with wide multi-kilometer cell coverage.
- FR2 (mmWave 28/39 GHz): Delivers 3–5 Gbps extreme throughput over short line-of-sight distances (under 300m) in dense stadiums and airports.
- NSA vs SA: Early 5G networks deployed Non-Standalone (NSA), using existing 4G LTE towers for control signaling. True 5G Standalone (SA) uses the cloud-native 5G Core (5GC), enabling end-to-end Network Slicing.