T-Mobile and Ericsson have completed the first standalone 5G data session in the United States.
Most current 5G deployments in the U.S. use a non-standalone (NSA) architecture, which relies on an existing LTE connection for control functions. Although NSA 5G delivers higher speeds and improved performance compared with LTE alone, a standalone (SA) 5G architecture offers additional benefits for emerging enterprise and mission-critical services—examples include smart city infrastructure, industrial automation, and low-latency mobile applications.
For this milestone, T-Mobile deployed Ericsson’s AIR 6488 radio and Baseband 6630 from Ericsson’s Radio System portfolio. Those products can be enabled for standalone operation through a software update, simplifying the transition from NSA to SA configurations.
Ericsson notes that Standalone New Radio (SA NR), when paired with a cloud-native 5G Core, enables a new class of applications that require near-real-time responsiveness and consistent connectivity. Use cases such as mobile virtual reality, cloud gaming, remote-controlled vehicles, and connected cars benefit from the ultra-low latency, network slicing, and reliability that SA 5G and a modern core architecture can provide.
“This major 5G breakthrough is another example of how the T-Mobile engineering team continues to innovate and drive the entire industry forward. I could not be more proud of them,” said T-Mobile CTO Neville Ray in a statement. He added that 5G marks a new era in wireless and emphasized that, if the merger with Sprint is approved, the combined company will be better positioned to deliver a leading nationwide network.
T-Mobile has not disclosed the exact spectrum blocks used for the standalone 5G session, but a company spokesperson confirmed the trial operated in sub-6 GHz frequencies—bands that balance coverage and capacity and are widely used for early nationwide 5G deployments.
As part of the regulatory concessions tied to the proposed T-Mobile–Sprint merger, Sprint will divest its prepaid business to Dish Network. Under the agreement, Dish will gain access to T-Mobile’s network as a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) for seven years while it builds out its own 5G standalone network.
T-Mobile has indicated plans to launch standalone 5G commercially in 2020. At the time of this announcement, all publicly available 5G networks in the United States were still operating in non-standalone mode.
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